Hysteria When You're Near
by Stars Hallow townie
Summary: This story is my fantasy for season 7. What would happen if Finn didn't graduate with Logan and Colin because he was 12 credits short? What if Logan asked Finn to stay in the spare bedroom of his and Rory's apartment? I've never liked Logan. However, if t
1. Surprises on Moving Day

Hysteria When You're Near 

Chapter 1- Surprises on Moving Day

Rory Gilmore woke up at 9 a.m. to the sound of her alarm clock. She sat up to turn it off and took a look around her bedroom. Most of her belongings were packed up in boxes waiting to be brought back to her apartment in New Haven, the apartment that she used to share with her boyfriend Logan. He had insisted she still live there while he was in London. He had even paid the rent for the whole year. So today she was moving back into the apartment and beginning her senior year of college without Logan and their friends.

Rory got out of bed and put on a pair of black cotton capris and a white ribbed tank top. Then she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. There was no use spending time on how she looked since she would be spending the day unloading boxes from her car and arranging all her things around the apartment. She walked out of her room to find Lorelai already dressed and pouring herself coffee.

"Mmmm coffee," Rory said as she walked across the kitchen to get herself a mug.

"Oh, yay you're up," Lorelai exclaimed. "I'm starving. Let's go to Luke's for breakfast before we head back to Yale."

"Great, I'm starving too," Rory agreed. "Let's take the cars this way we can leave right away."

"Okay. I can't believe it's your senior year of college already. I feel like I just moved you into your freshman dorm. Are you excited?"

"I can't wait to start classes and get back to the Yale Daily News. I've missed that stuff a lot. It's just going to be weird living by myself. I've always had someone: you, Paris, Logan. But this year I have no roommate. It's just going to be weird."

"Sweetie you'll be fine. Just think, without a roommate to worry about you can blast the music on your stereo and dance around naked," Lorelai said with excitement in her voice.

"When have I ever danced around naked?"

"That's my point! You have never been alone long enough to do it. But now that you're living alone you can do it all the time."

"Mom, I have no desire to dance around the apartment naked," Rory said matter of factly.

"Just think about it. Look how much fun Tom Cruise had in _Risky Business_ and he was wearing his underwear. Imagine how much fun dancing naked would be," Lorelai said, her excitement rising with each word spoken.

"If I get the urge to dance around naked I'll call you. Now can we please go get breakfast? I'm still starving," Rory complained while holding her stomach.

Rory and Lorelai went to Luke's and ate chocolate chip pancakes with extra bacon on the side. After having three cups of coffee each (all of which they had to beg for) and Rory said her good-bye's to Luke and Ceaser, the two girls were on their way to New Haven. Lorelai had once again borrowed Luke's pick up truck and followed Rory in her car. During their ride the two girls called each other as they noticed silly things about other drivers. Lorelai had called to tell Rory about the old woman in the blue BMW who was picking her nose, and Rory informed her mother about the man with the nice ass peeing on the side of the road. Lorelai, who had been about a mile and a half behind Rory, took a picture of the man just before he was able to pull his pants back up.

When they had finally arrived at the apartment, the girls parked their cars in the front of the building so they could unload Rory's things. Lorelai ran over to her daughter holding her cell phone out.

"Who's on the phone?" Rory asked.

"Just look." Lorelai demanded.

Rory looked down at the phone and saw the man on the side of the road peeing. "Ewww mom, that's gross! Why would you want a picture of that?" she asked.

"So I can show Luke," Lorelai said with an evil smile spread across her lips.

"He'll be so happy," Rory said sarcastically. "Now can we please start unpacking the car? The quicker we move my stuff, the quicker we can order pizza and have a movie night."

"Can we watch _Risky Business_ so you can see how much fun you're missing?" Lorelai said as if it were the best idea she had ever had.

Rory handed her mother a box and began to walk into the building trying to ignore the rant that was following her into the elevator. Both Gilmore girls made several trips between the cars and the apartment. Once all the boxes had been taken inside, Lorelai and Rory started to unpack and put things into their proper place. Rory had been hanging her clothes in the closet when she heard "_Our Lips are Sealed_" coming from her phone. She ran to answer it before the call went to voicemail.

"Hello," she answered.

"Hey Ace, how's it going?" she heard Logan's voice ask on the other end.

"Hey, I'm just hanging my clothes up," she told him with a smile on her face. The moment she walked into the apartment she had missed him. Hearing his voice made her feel a little better about their current situation.

"How is the place?"

"Good, but not the same without you around," she told him honestly.

"Ace you have no idea how badly I want to be there with you. I miss you."

"I miss you too. You have no clue how lonely I'm going to be here this year without you," she told him with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"It's funny you should say that because I have a surprise for you," he said with some hesitation in his voice.

"What?" Rory asked. There was excitement in her voice. Maybe he was coming to see her, or coming home for good.

Just then the doorbell rang. She told Logan to hold on as she ran toward the door. When she opened it up she found a smiling Finn on the other side.

"Hello love," he said as he walked in.

"Finn!" she yelled surprised as she gave him a quick hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Moving my stuff in," he said as if it were obvious.

"Why would you do that?" she asked confused.

He gave her a questioning look. "Haven't you spoken to Logan?" he asked.

"I'm on the phone with him now." She suddenly put the phone to her ear eager to find out what was going on. "Logan why is Finn moving his stuff into our apartment?" she asked with a hint of anger in her voice.

"That's actually why I was calling," Logan began to explain. "I didn't want you in that big apartment by yourself so I asked Finn to move into the second bedroom."

"And you're just telling me this now." Rory was now extremely angry. "This is something that should be discussed between the two of us. How can you do this to me?" she asked. She was getting angrier by the minute Rory could not believe he would make a decision like this without talking to her first. "And since when do you decide whether or not I can handle being alone? I'm 21 years old Logan, not 2!"

" Listen Ace, I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about this first. Finn called me and said he was going to be going back to Yale. Since he didn't have a place to stay and we have an extra room I figured it would be perfect. Now he has a place to stay and you won't be alone. Weren't you just telling me it was lonely there?"

"That still doesn't explain why you are only telling me about this now," she demanded.

"It was a sudden decision. I tried to tell you before he got there."

"I'm not going to argue with you about this now. I have to go." Before Logan could say good-bye Rory had hung up the phone.

Finn who had been standing there uncomfortably during Rory and Logan's fight finally decided to talk. "I'm sorry love. I didn't mean to cause a fight between you and Logan. If this is going to be uncomfortable for you, I'll find another place to stay."

"This isn't your fault Finn. I am surprised, but the thought of someone else living here is comforting. I was kind of dreading living on my own this year. If you still want to live here, I'd love for you to be my roommate."

"Well love, I would love to be your roommate. Now where exactly is our bedroom?" he asked with a suggestive smile.

"My room is the last door on the left and your room would be the first door on the right." She told him with a satisfied smiled.

"What is the point of a roommate, love, if you're not going to share a room with that person?"

"Finn you know I'd love to share a bed with you, but what would we tell Logan?" she asked with fake concern in her voice.

"I'll keep you my dirty little secret," he whispered as he put his arm around her shoulder. Rory could not help but giggle at her friend's antics.

"Why do I hear a sexy Australian accent?" Lorelai asked as she made her way into the living room.

"Because there is a very sexy Australian inside the apartment," Finn said as he walked up to Lorelai and took her hand. He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a soft kiss onto her fingers as he suggestively arched his eyebrows.

"Now this is better than dancing around naked," Lorelai told Rory.

Finn looked at Rory. "Did I miss something?" he asked.

"Nothing important." She turned back to look at her mother. "Mom this is Finn, a friend of mine and Logan's and my new roommate."

Without letting the surprise she was feeling show on her face, Lorelai turned to look at Finn. After obviously checking him out, she looked at her daughter. "This certainly is an improvement from Paris."

" I am better looking and much less intimidating," he playfully whispered to Lorelai.

"Finn, do you need help bringing your things up?" Rory asked trying to divert everyone's attention from the current living situation.

"No need, love. The movers should have everything up and unpacked quite quickly." He started to walk toward the door but stopped to whisper in Rory's ear. "Why don't you go explain our living situation to your mother, I'll be back in a little while." Finn then walked out the door to allow the girls to talk.

Rory nodded her head to Finn's suggestion and began to walk into the kitchen. Her mother followed her, but waited for the apartment door to close before she started to ask questions.

"So…I guess your not living alone," Lorelai questioned.

"Logan called right before Finn showed up. Apparently Finn is still in school and Logan didn't want me living alone," she tried to explain. She had no clue what her mom was thinking. The expression on Lorelai's face was unreadable.

"Well dancing around naked just became a lot more interesting." Both girls laughed, as the tension of the situation was broken. "Seriously babe, are you okay with this?"

"Although I was not expecting this at all, I think Finn living here will be good. I won't be alone and I'll have someone to hang out with other than Paris." The more Rory thought about it, the better she felt. She wasn't really looking forward to senior year with Logan and her other friends gone, but now with Finn living with her the year was quickly becoming more interesting.

"As long as you're comfortable I'm okay with it. But if you ever feel uncomfortable you are to call me immediately. It would be hard to move in with a hot twenty-three year old Australian, but I would do anything for my daughter," Lorelai said in a mock bothered tone.

"What would you tell Luke?" Rory asked

"He'd never know. I'd still show up at the diner every morning for coffee, and then after work for coffee. But if he ever questioned where I was, I'd just distract him with my kisses."

Both girls laughed as they hugged.

"Thanks mom," Rory said with appreciation in her voice.

"Anytime. Now where did that hot roommate of yours go? I need him to help me convince you to dance around this place in your birthday suite."

"I'll help as long as I get a front row seat for the show," Finn said smirking as he carried two boxes into his new bedroom.

"See even the hot Australian thinks you should dance naked," Lorelai said in a triumphant tone.

"Finn just wants to see me naked!" Rory accused as she dragged her mother back into her bedroom.

For the next few hours Rory, Lorelai, and Finn unpacked boxes and set up the rest of the apartment. When they were finished they ordered pizzas and watched _Risky Business_ (at Lorelai's request). Lorelai and Finn tried to convince Rory to dance around naked and she promised to think about it to get them to shut up. When the movie was over Lorelai helped clean up and announced that she was leaving. She gave Rory a hug at the door.

"So kiddo, have a great school year."

"Mom, I'll be home in two weeks," Rory reminded her.

"I know, but I just wanted to wish you luck. You're going to have so much fun this year. And you have a hot, exotic roommate," Lorelai finished off with a mix of admiration and jealousy in her voice.

"Who just happens to be friends with my boyfriend," Rory reminded her mother.

"A boyfriend who is on the other side of the world," Lorelai stated.

" Mom," Rory whined. She knew her mom still had reservations about her relationship with Logan, but she was tired of hearing about it.

"Okay I'll stop. I'll see you at dinner on Friday. By sweets." Lorelai waved and began to walk down the hall. When she got on the elevator, Rory closed the door.

"Your mother is fabulous, kitten. I see where you get your quirkiness from," Finn said with a laugh.

Rory laughed too. "Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment."

"Well it was meant as one." Finn looked at Rory for a minute. He was shocked when Logan had chosen to settle down with one girl, but he could see how he'd want to. Rory was a great girl and he was glad they had become friends. "So are you really okay with me staying here?"

Rory went and sat on the couch next to Finn. "I know I seemed mad before when Logan was on the phone, but I was surprised. I'm actually excited you're gonna be here. I thought I'd be alone this year, well except for Paris."

"Well I'm glad to be of service to you and I do mean any service you might need." The suggestive smirk came back onto his lips.

"I'll file that for later use," she flirted back. She loved that about Finn. She found it so easy to play around with him. "I do have one question though, what are you doing here at Yale? I was at your graduation. I saw you get the fancy folder that holds your diploma. What happened?"

"I never 'officially' graduated. I wasn't ready. I walked during the ceremony to be with Logan and Colin. So here I am back at school, trying to stretch my last twelve credits in two semesters worth of work."

Rory laughed. "Finn why would you do that? I would think with Logan and Colin gone you'd be willing to go off into the work world."

"Don't get me wrong, I love my dad and taking over the family business is my goal. I just wasn't ready. So dad told me he'd give me one more year. So Miss Gilmore, you best be ready to party that adorable behind of yours off. I think you'll be more effective than a wingman. Girls love what they can't have," Finn stated confidently.

Rory looked him right in the eye and then smiled. "Let the games begin!"


	2. Dinner for Two

**A/N: **Thank you so much for everyone who commented on chapter 1. This story is going to take some time. Rory and Finn will get together but it's going to be complicated. Rory would never just cheat on her boyfriend, especialy with his best friend. Be patient! Anyway I just went back to work on Tuesday (I teach) so it may take a little longer for the chapters to be updated. However, I am dedicated to finishing this story and I'm putting 110 into every chapter. Hope you all enjoy chapter 2. Send your reviews and let me know what you think.

Chapter 2- Dinner for Two

It had been two weeks since Finn had moved into the apartment. Logan had called again the next day to apologize to Rory and she had forgiven him. He had also sent two dozen roses to her just incase. While on the phone that day, Logan had told Rory that he would be coming to visit her during the third week of October. She was looking forward to spending some time with him. She had not seen him since he left for London in May and their sporadic phone calls were no longer doing it for her. She was looking forward to waking up in the morning with his arms around her. She had missed that so much. One week with Logan was exactly what she needed.

Living with Finn was also going well, although they rarely saw each other. Rory usually left for class early in the morning and worked at the paper late into the night. By the time she got home, there would be a note from Finn telling her that he was at the pub and that she should come and join him. She never did, though. The only way she knew he came home at all was from the noises coming from his bedroom whenever she woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or get water. She had filled Logan in on Finn's continued player status during their last phone call. She had also asked is she ever sounded that ridiculous when they were together. Logan had just laughed at her and assured her she sounded very sexy. That just made Rory wonder if Finn told these girls that's how they sounded. 'God, I hope not' she thought to herself.

It was a Wednesday afternoon during the second week of school and Rory had been at the newspaper office finishing the layout for the next edition of the Yale Daily News. She was sitting at her desk when a shadow formed over her. She looked up to see a grinning Finn holding a large cup of coffee.

"Hey love, you busy?" Finn asked handing Rory the cup of coffee that was in his hands.

"I think I have a few minutes to spare. What's up?"

"Well, we've been living together for a couple of weeks and I've barely seen you. I miss my roommate," he said sincerely.

"It has been a crazy few weeks and I am a missable person," Rory joked.

Finn laughed at Rory's comment. "I was hoping that you were free tonight?" Finn questioned.

"For a night of drinking and redheads at the pub?" Rory teased.

"You wound me with your sarcasm, you know that? I guess I'll just have to reconsider my offer to make you the most unbelievable home cooked meal you've ever had. Maybe one of those redheads would enjoy my culinary excellence," he scoffed

"You never made an offer," Rory corrected him.

"And now I won't," he continued in his mock insulted tone.

"Well whatever could I do to change your mind?" Rory asked.

"I don't know if you can." Finn tried to sound upset but it was becoming harder not to laugh. The look of joy on her face, created by their banter, was too much for him to resist.

"Finn my exotically handsome roommate, I would be so honored if you would cook for me," she said with a smile on her face and a bat of her eyes.

"Well when you put it that way love, how can I resist?" Finn smiled at Rory and found that he couldn't look away. 'Wow she looks beautiful' he thought. They both stayed that way until Finn diverted his eyes to the floor, embarrassed that he had thought about his best friend's girlfriend in that way. "So when can I expect you home? I need to plan my preparation time," he informed her.

"How does seven sound?" she asked. "I still need to finish this layout and send it over to the printers."

"Seven sounds perfect, kitten!" he said with a wink. "Now I'm going to prepare for this wonderful evening while you finish your work. I want you fully relaxed when you come home tonight. No worrying about forgetting to do something," he said while giving her a firm look.

Rory let out a little chuckle. "You will have my full and complete attention when I walk through our door," she promised.

"Perfect," he smiled as he walked backwards towards the door. "I will see you later, love." Finn gave a quick wave and ducked out the door of the newspaper office.

Rory couldn't help but laugh at her roommate. Finn was definitely interesting and unlike anyone she had ever known. There was something about him that made Rory feel like she was at home. He belonged to that same wealthy, elite group that Logan and her grandparents were in, yet she could easily see him interacting with Lorelai and the rest of her 'family' in Stars Hallow. He was quirky and had the ability to make anything fun. It also didn't hurt that he was extremely attractive. Rory stopped as that thought had entered her head. 'Since when had she ever thought of Finn in that way?' Instead of pondering that thought any longer, she decided that she should concentrate on finishing the paper so she could get home and enjoy the dinner that was being made for her.

After Finn left the newsroom, he jumped in his Escalade and headed to the supermarket to buy the ingredients he would need for dinner. While he was in the car he wondered what he should make Rory for dinner. He could have asked her when he went to visit her, but he also wanted dinner to be a surprise. He didn't know what kind of food she liked, other than the smelly Indian food that she loved to order when no one else was home. Knowing that he wouldn't be cooking Indian food, he started to go through meals that he knew they would both enjoy. After a few minutes of debating, he had a great idea. He knew how much Rory loved Italian food and he gotten a great sauce recipe from Adriana, his parents' personal chef. When he got to the supermarket he walked up and down the aisles gathering chicken, penne noodles, and all the secret ingredients he would need to make the sauce. As he stood in line to pay for these items, he thought about how much Rory was going to enjoy this meal. After paying for and packing his groceries, Finn made one more stop at the liquor store to buy a bottle of Merlot. 'This will go perfectly with tonight's meal,' he thought as he got back in the car and headed home to begin cooking.

As soon as Finn had gotten back to the apartment, he began to prepare the meal. He took his time mixing together all the ingredients for the sauce and slowly mixing in the prefect amount of seasonings. When the sauce finally tasted the way Finn remembered, he began to clean and cut the chicken. He then breaded each piece and fried it before covering it with sauce and cheese and putting it in the oven. With everything cooking, Finn moved on to the dinning room, where he began to set the table with plates, glasses, and silverware. He had just finished with everything he needed to do when he heard the keys in the lock. He looked up and saw Rory enter the apartment with a smile on her face.

"Mmmm, it smells really good in here," Rory said while sniffing her way into the kitchen.

Finn blocked the door with both arms. "I don't think so love. Dinner is a surprise. Now it's almost ready so go change and by the time you're done it'll be time to eat," Finn said with a satisfied grin on his face.

"Okay," Rory said as she walked into her room and closed the door to change. After putting on a pair of black sweatpants and red tank top, Rory pulled her hair into a ponytail and made her way out to the living room. "Is it okay to come in yet?" she asked with sarcasm in her voice.

"Yes, dinner is served," Finn informed her as he placed two bowls of pasta and two plates of chicken parmesean on the table. "Would you care for a glass of wine?" he asked.

"I would love a glass, thank you." She picked up her knife and fork and began to cut her chicken. "Am I going to die if I eat this?" she joked.

"Very funny, love. Do you think I would actually try and kill you? Logan would kick me out of this place for sure if I did that," he laughed.

"Oh and we couldn't have that now could we?"

"Absolutely not."

Rory picked up a piece of chicken on her fork and put it in her mouth. She could not believe how good it was. "Oh wow, Finn this is incredible! How did you learn to cook like this?"

"Adriana, our cook in the States' house. When I was a freshman in high school, before my parents went back to Australia and sent me to boarding school, I would spend a lot of time talking with Adriana in the kitchen. She was in her early thirties and would give me advice about girls and other stuff I didn't want to talk to my parents about. One day during one of our talks I helped her out with a desert she was making for after dinner. After that I would spend an hour or two after school in the kitchen with her, talking and helping her cook. I learned a lot from her during that year."

"That's an amazing story Finn. Did you keep in touch with her?"

"Whenever my parents are in the States for an extended period of time they call her. She has her own family now, but she still tries to make time for us when we're around. Mom and dad always treated her as part of the family."

"I don't think I've ever heard you talk about your family before," she commented while continuing to enjoy her dinner.

"And I don't believe you've ever asked," he replied.

"I guess I always just assumed that you had the same type of relationship with your parents that Logan and Colin have with there's," she explained as embarrassment washed over her. She blushed a little realizing that she really didn't know much about Finn, except that he liked girls and he liked to party.

"Don't be embarrassed doll. Just because I don't talk about my family doesn't mean that we don't get along. I actually have a great relationship with my parents. My mom is a sweet and caring person. She's the most amazing woman that I know. And dad, well most people find him a bit eccentric but he's the greatest guy in the world. Him and mom married when they were only twenty. Two years later they had my older sister, Kylie, and three years after that they had me. My sister and I have your typical brother sister relationship. We annoy the hell out of each other, but we love each other all the same."

The entire time Finn spoke about his family, Rory watched his face. She paid special close attention to his eyes. In them she saw the admiration that he had when speaking of his parents. He loved them and wasn't afraid to show it. She also noticed protectiveness in his demeanor as he began to speak of his sister. It was a side a Finn that Rory was enjoying.

"Finn, how many people know about your relationship with your family?" Rory asked.

"Logan and Colin, but I try not to rub it in their faces. That's why I don't talk about them much," he explained. They both sat quietly for a few moments before Finn continued. "I think you'd like them. You would fit right in with us."

"Well they sound like great people. I'd love to meet them one day."

He smiled at her. "Well you've heard about my family, why don't you tell me a little bit about yours," he suggested as he poured them both another glass of wine.

"Well you've already met my mother," she began

"Yes the lovely Lorelai is a woman not to be forgotten," he said with a smirk on his lips.

"That's my mom Finn," Rory whined. She shook her head trying to get the suggestive thoughts out while Finn laughed at her. "Anyway, mom had me when she was sixteen, as you already know. Dad wasn't ready for a wife and kid and mom was way to independent, so she raised me on her own. My dad came to visit me when I was growing up, but he never stayed long. My mom's parents were always around, even though my mom didn't always want them there. They paid for me to go to Chilton so I had a better chance of getting into an Ivy League college. My dad's parents, on the other hand, thought I was a mistake that ruined their son's life. They even told me so once. They were never in my life, though, so it never bothered me."

Finn observed Rory the entire time she was talking. He never knew that she had such a distant relationship with her dad. He saw some sadness in her eyes when she spoke about her father. He wondered how a man could help give life to someone as wonderful as Rory and not be there for her. And her dad's parents, how could they think she was a mistake? Finn thought she was the most wonderful person he had ever met. "I'm sorry about your dad and your grandparents," he said looking directly into her eyes. He needed her to know that he thought what they did was wrong, but he didn't know if it was his place to say it.

Rory was amazed by the look in Finn's eyes when he apologized for her grandparents' behavior. She had never thought Finn cared about her in that way. Sure they were friends, but she thought their bond began and ended with Logan. She never would have thought that they had a friendship beyond him. "Thanks Finn," she told him with a small smile on her lips. "Thank you for listening to me and for making this awesome meal."

"I'm glad I did it. I think we learned a lot about each other tonight. Whoever would have thought that you and I would be sitting here swapping life stories?" he asked before finishing his glass of wine.

"Finn, I think we've started a whole new friendship tonight," she told him as she got out of her seat and began to clean the table.

"And what do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"You cooked dinner, so I clean. It's the rules," she explained to him.

"If you're going to clean the dishes the least I can do is dry them," Finn offered.

"Well I could never say no to help from a handsome gentleman," she flirted.

"Then help you shall get my dear."

Finn and Rory continued to talk while washing and drying the dishes. They each shared stories about their families and growing up. Finn talked about growing up in Australia and his move to the U.S. during middle school. Rory in turn, shared stories about her mom and growing up in Stars Hallow. Finn laughed as Rory told him about Kirk's tendency to run around naked at night and about Luke and Taylor's daily arguments. When all the dishes were cleaned, Rory and Finn decided that it was time for both to go to bed.

As Rory was walking down the hall to her room, she stopped and turned back to Finn. "Hey Finn, what are doing next weekend?"

Finn stopped in his bedroom doorway when he heard her question. "Nothing yet, why?"

"How would you like to spend next weekend with mom and I in Stars Hallow? There's an autumn festival which means there will be lots of drama," she said while giggling at the thought of the many things that Finn could encounter.

Finn's face lit up with the request. "I couldn't think of anything else that would be more fun. I'll be there."

"Great," she said with a huge smile on her face. "Good night Finn!"

"Good night love."

Both Finn and Rory went into their bedrooms and lay in their beds. They both fell asleep with smiles on their faces, thinking about the great night that they had shared together. Both had thought that it was the beginning of new friendship. Neither of them knew that they would soon be so much more to each other.


	3. Small Town Life

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your great reviews. I've appreciated them all so much! Someone wrote that they thought Logan sending Rory roses was cliche. It was supposed to be. I feel that Logan is a very cliched character, most people just don't relize it because his gifts usually involve him spending his mass amounts of money and disguise this. Anyway, this chapter is cute, but it was written as a filler. The next two chapters will be the fall festival, chapter four has already been written and is currently waiting to be edited. I hope you enjoy this chapter. As always please review, I love to know what you all think.

**A/N 2:** I forgot to do this in chapters 1 and 2- I do not own Gilmore Girl's or any of the characters, but I can imagine the things I would do if owned Tanc ; - )

Chapter 3- Small Town Life

A little over a week had past since Finn had cooked dinner for Rory. After that night, they had been spending a little more time with each other. That same weekend Finn had convinced Rory to go to the pub with him. They had a few drinks and Finn was even able to convince Rory to dance with him. In return, Rory convinced Finn not to bring home the redhead that was hanging all over him the whole night. Logan had told her that he didn't know whether he should be impressed by her growing influence over Finn's behavior or disappointed at her attempts to ruin Finn's game with the ladies, but decided not to say anything. He was just happy that his girlfriend and best friend were getting along so well.

Two days after Finn's dinner, Rory had called her mother to inform her that Finn would be coming home with her the following weekend.

"Your bringing home the hot Australian?' Lorelai had asked. "I knew this distance thing with Logan would make you see that the two of you are all wrong for each other."

"Mom," Rory had to yell to stop her mother's rant. "Logan and I didn't break up, and Finn and I are just friends. Nothing more."

"So you're just bringing a friend home for the weekend?" Lorelai asked as if she did not believe a word her daughter was saying.

"Yes," Rory said matter-of-factly. "I was telling Finn the other day about Stars Hallow and he said that he would love to see it. I thought since we're having the annual fall festival next weekend, it would be the perfect opportunity to show him around. I mean when is a better time to visit Stars Hallow then when Taylor is completely stressed and Miss Patty and Babette are tanked?"

"Very true daughter of mine. Tell that hot roommate of yours that I'm looking forward to having him under my roof," Lorelai said in that voice that she uses when making her infamous 'innuendos'.

"And what would Luke say if he came home to find you with my 23 year-old Australian roommate?" Rory questioned. "Remember he lives with you now," she continued to explain to her mother.

"That is why I will send you to Luke's for coffee. He'll be so distracted fighting with you about dying an early death that he won't be home for a while," Lorelai said with a satisfied smile on her face.

"I think I'll leave Finn home this weekend," Rory deadpanned.

"Okay I won't pull a Mrs. Robinson with your 'friend'," Lorelai said putting an extra emphasis on the word friend.

"Thank you. We'll be there sometime late Friday afternoon. We'll leave right after I get out of class."

"Okay, sweets see you then. Bye!"

"Bye mom."

It was now Thursday night and Finn and Rory were both packing for their exciting weekend in Stars Hallow. Rory was in her room putting the last of her clothes in her duffle bag when Finn came into her room and lay on her bed.

Rory looked at him sprawled out on the bed and laughed. "What's wrong Finn?" she asked.

"Packing is hard work. I had to decide what I wanted to wear for the next three days. I think I need to relieve my stress with a trip to the pub. Would you like to join me?"

"I can't Finn. I have to finish packing, plus I have an early class tomorrow."

"Why do you schedule class on Friday's love? You're a senior in college. Three day weekends are mandatory!" Finn explained outraged by the idea of school on a Friday morning.

"Did you forget my lapse in sanity last semester? I'm still making up credits so I can graduate on time."

"Ah yes, dropping out of Yale. I never did understand how Ol' Mitchum could say those things to you, or how you could have possibly believed him. You're a brilliant writer doll, " Finn said looking Rory right in the eye with the most serious face she had ever seen on him.

"How would you know?" she asked amused and full of curiosity.

"Because I read your columns in every edition of that newspaper you obsess over." He then leaned over and whispered, "but don't tell anyone."

Rory laughed at Finn as she zippered up her bag. She couldn't believe that Finn actually read her pieces. She would have figured they were too boring for him. Instead of questioning him, she decided to change the topic. "I won't go to the pub with you, but if you'd like to join me for T.V. and mocking I'd love the company."

Finn jumped off Rory's bed and ran into the living room. By the time Rory had made it inside, Finn had already turned on the television and proclaimed control over the remote. The two spent the rest of the night channel surfing and mocking what they saw as they stopped on each channel. At around 11:00 they both headed to bed, knowing that they had an exciting weekend ahead of them.

Rory awoke the next morning and went to class. By the time she had returned to her dorm room, Finn was already dressed and ready to leave.

"I can't believe that you're up," Rory said half shocked and half in a joking manner when she saw Finn sitting on the couch as she walked in the door. "You do know that it's only one o'clock right?"

"For your information I've been up since 9:30," he explained mock offended by her earlier comment. "It's so much easier to wake up in the morning when you're not hung over," he explained happy with himself for coming up with this conclusion.

"You don't say," Rory mocked with a sarcastic tone.

"You know love, if you continue to make fun of me I'll be forced to let you go to this town shindig alone."

"No you won't. You're just as excited as I am to be going to Stars Hallow," she confidently called his bluff.

He laughed at her as he picked up his bag and walked towards the door. As he reached for the knob, he turned and looked at her. "I can't wait for you all day," he joked.

Rory picked up her bag and walked past him out the door. When they had both put their bags in the back seat of the Escalade and had settled in to their seats (Finn in the driver's seat and Rory in the passenger's seat), they began their way to Stars Hallow. Throughout the drive Rory and Finn had fought over the radio, singing to the songs that had annoyed the other and to ones they had both liked. Finn and Rory were surprised to learn that they both shared an appreciation for 80's music. They were having so much fun singing and joking around that both were surprised when they approached the 'Welcome to Stars Hallow' sign.

As they drove through the streets of Rory's hometown, she pointed out some places of significance. She pointed out Luke's as they passed by, explaining that her mother's fiancée made the world's best coffee. She also felt compelled to show Finn the neighborhood bookstore and assure him that they would visit there before they left. Finally, Rory navigated him through the rest of the streets until they pulled up in front of her house. They both gathered their bags out of the car and made their way up the steps. Before they could reach the front door, Lorelai had come running out and enveloped her daughter into a huge hug.

"Daughter," Lorelai yelled.

"Hey mom, " Rory replied as she unwrapped her arms from around her mom. "You remember Finn?"

"Lorelai, love," Finn exclaimed as he raised Lorelai's hand and placed a soft kiss upon it. "Thank you for including me in this weekend. Rory has told me so much about this place, I can't wait to see it all."

"Well I hope you're prepared to spend a weekend Gilmore girl's style. Many have tried, but few have actually succeeded. This could be a great milestone in your life," Lorelai said with a serious face.

"I have come fully prepared for anything you two have in store for me. Eating junk food, getting drunk, whatever you two do I can handle."

Lorelai smiled at Rory. "I think I'm gonna like him."

"He tends to grow on you," Rory said with a wicked smile on her face, as she winked at Finn. "Finn let's go inside so I can show you the nice comfy couch."

"I thought I was sleeping in your bed," he joked. "I am a guest and guests should always be accommodated," he said with suggestively arched eyebrows.

"I don't do those sort of accommodations. Sorry Finny," she laughed as she walked into her room and closed the door.

After both Rory and Finn had settled in, the two joined Lorelai for dinner at Luke's. They all ordered cheeseburgers and French fries and talked while eating their meals. After dinner Rory and Finn walked over to the movie store while Lorelai went to buy junk food and Luke closed the diner. The four then headed home to have a typical Gilmore movie night filled with junk food, _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_, and Molly Ringwald films. When all the junk food had been eaten and the movies had been watched and mocked, all four said their good-night's and went to bed.

As Rory was walking to her room, Finn called her name. "Rory, love. This was fun hanging out with you, your mom, and Luke."

"This was nothing," she explained. "Just wait until tomorrow," she said with a grin.

"I look forward to it." Before she could begin to walk into her room again he called out, "Good-night Ror."

"Good-night Finn." She walked into her room and laid on her bed. With the door left slightly open, Rory fell asleep listening to sound of Finn's low snore from the couch. With a slight smile she snuggled deep under her covers and fell asleep.


	4. Surprises, Confusion, and a Fair

**A/N:** Hey all. Here's the new chapter. You'll find Rory and Finn's attraction to each other multiply in this chapter. I must warn you though, it will still be a few chapters before they get together so don't get too excited. Logan will visit Rory at Yale as promised. However, the growing tension should be enough to keep you satisified. I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Please don't forget to send your reviews because they encourage me to write more!

Chapter 4- Surprises, Confusion, and a Fair

Rory awoke the next morning to the sound of laughter in the kitchen. She tried to cover her head with her blankets, but the laughter and sound of voices kept growing louder. Irritated that she had been woken up before 10:00 on a Saturday morning, Rory slowly stretched before she picked herself off her bed and walked over to the door. When she walked out of her room, her mother and Finn sitting at the kitchen table caught her attention. Finn was talking animatedly with his hands flying about, while Lorelai could hardly contain her laughter as she listened to him with excitement. Neither of them noticed Rory until she cleared her throat.

"Hey sleepyhead," Lorelai said as she smile at her daughter. "We were wondering when you were going to wake up."

"It's 9:30 on a Saturday morning. I should at least be asleep for another hour. Two hours if I were lucky." She then turned to face Finn. "And you," she said while pointing a finger at him. "Two days in a row and you're out of bed while the sun is still out. What have you done to my friend Finn?" she cried dramatically.

Finn laughed at Rory as she carried on. "You brought me home for a weekend in Stars Hallow. How can I have a proper visit if I spend all day asleep on the couch?"

Rory fixed him with a pointed stare. After a few seconds Finn looked away as he started to smirk. "And," she inquired triumphantly, knowing there was more to the story.

"And it's hard to sleep through the sound of the perky pigs oinking on your mother's alarm clock."

Rory laughed at the thought of Finn being awoken by her mother's beloved alarm clock. He must have been so confused. "So is that why the two of you were laughing like hyenas and disturbing my much needed sleep," she asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee and joined them at the table.

"Oh no! We were laughing at Finn's version of your Mary Poppin's reenactment during your first LDB party." Lorelai was barley able to finish her sentence before her and Finn were laughing again.

"I thought these gatherings were a secret? No one is supposed to know about them?" Rory asked Finn with a hint of agitation in her voice.

"It's your mother, love. And the only information I disclosed was the pure look of terror on your face before you jumped."

"I guess you forgot about the pure look of pain you had on your face minutes before that when you decided to become a moving target?" she asked in an accusing tone.

"Now that, love, was disclosing too much information."

"Well that is a story we'll have to share on our way to Luke's. Who else is hungry?" Lorelai asked. Both Finn and Rory shook their heads. "Okay then, there are two bathrooms. Take turns and shower, and we'll meet in the living room to leave in an hour," she instructed before heading upstairs to get ready herself.

After Lorelai disappeared, Finn followed Rory into her room so he could gather what he would need for his shower.

"You can go first," Rory told him. "I'll just shower when you're done."

"You know, we could save water and some time if we were to shower together," Finn insinuated.

"Finn," Rory said while blushing. After two seconds of recovery she added, "not in my mom's house."

Finn laughed and shook his head. "Your such a tease," he accused before walking out of her room to go take a shower.

Rory shook her head as she watched him leave. He was unbelievable. His flirting was relentless, but then again hers was getting just as bad. If anyone else, other than Logan, had made that suggestion she would have instantly become annoyed and closed off. She would also have called them on it. However, she felt comfortable flirting with Finn in this way. 'Why is that?' she thought to herself. She continued to ponder this idea while pulling clothes to wear out of her closet. She was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't hear Finn return to her room fifteen minutes later. It wasn't until Finn walked behind her and cleared his throat in her ear that she turned around in surprise.

Rory was shocked by what she saw. Finn was standing two feet away from her wearing nothing but a towel. The towel was knotted at his left hipbone and hung low on his waist. His defined abs and pecs had drips of water that fell from his hair running down them, and his wet brown hair was beginning to curl around his forehead. Rory couldn't take her eyes off of him. As she watched Finn, she felt a yearning growing in her stomach. Her whole body went into flames and her face was flush. 'Oh god I'm getting turned on by Finn' she thought. But her imagination was not given the time it needed to get her truly worked up, it was interrupted by a husky, accented voice.

Finn, who was enjoying Rory's eyes roaming over his body, decided to save her from the embarrassment she was feeling by speaking up. With a grin spread across his lips he asked, "what's wrong love, cat got your tongue? Or do you just like what you see?"

"You can be such an arrogant ass sometimes, you know that," she said defensively as she gathered her clothes and stormed out of the room.

Finn watched her leave in shock. He was just teasing her. He couldn't believe how defensive she got. He felt horrible that he had made her uncomfortable and felt bad for crossing the line. He wanted to run after her and apologize, but he knew that might only make things worse. She needed some time to cool down. Knowing that he'd have to wait until later to apologize, he quickly dressed and went out into the living room to wait for Rory and Lorelai to finish up.

After Rory had left her room she ran to the bathroom and locked the door. Taking a few deep breaths, she finally started to calm down. 'What just happened back there?' she thought to herself. One moment she had been looking through her closet and the next she had a strong desire to get that towel off of Finn and get him onto her bed. 'This is wrong' she reprimanded herself. 'He's your boyfriend's best friend.' She turned on the shower and stood under the cold water for a few seconds before turning on the hot water. After taking a few minutes to calm herself down she decided that she acted that way because of the way Finn's body looked mixed with her four month hiatus of physicality due to Logan's absence. It had nothing to do with Finn himself. Reassuring herself that she was okay, she stepped out of the shower and got dressed. She would apologize to Finn and they would be okay. They were friends.

After both Gilmore girls arrived in the living room, the three headed to Luke's for some breakfast. On the walk over they all talked and joked around. However, Rory was not able to make eye contact with Finn. She still felt embarrassed about checking him out and guilty to have had the reaction that she did. Finn, who was very aware of Rory's avoidance, was feeling worse that he had made her so uncomfortable. He was surprised when he saw Rory looking at him the way she had. He was even more surprised by how it had made him feel. He had only spoken to break the uneasiness that had settled into the room. He had never intended on pushing Rory away or on ruining the weekend. He knew he had to speak to her as soon as the two could be alone.

His chance came much more quickly than he had expected. When the three arrived at Luke's, Lorelai left Finn and Rory to sit at a table by the window while she went to place their orders and flirt with Luke.

Finn watched Lorelai approach the counter. He then turned to Rory, "listen love, I'm sorry I upset you before. I never meant to make you uncomfortable. It's just easy for me to diffuse tense situations by flirting, well at least when there's a girl involved. Or occasionally with Logan and Colin."

Rory giggled a little before she finally looked up and locked eyes with Finn. "I'm sorry too. I guess I overreacted a little. My defenses tend to go up when I'm embarrassed," she said to him in explanation. "Do you think we could forget about what happened earlier and just enjoy the weekend?" Rory asked even though she knew she would never be able to forget the image of a wet Finn wrapped in a towel.

"What happened earlier?" he asked with a smile on his lips.

"Thanks Finn," she said as she reached across the table and squeezed his hand.

The two were then interrupted by Luke brining food over to their table. He was followed by Lorelai who was carrying three mugs by their handles in one hand and a pot of coffee in the other.

"The coffee fairy has arrived," Lorelai cooed as she made her way to the table.

"Lorelai," Luke said in an agitated voice. "I told you, you are not getting an entire pot of coffee to yourself."

"It's not only for me. Rory is sharing. We'll even let Finn have **_a_** cup."

"Lorelai," Luke growled again.

"Luke, honey," she said with a bat of her eyes. "The coffee makes me happy and when I'm happy I look prettier. Don't you want a pretty fiancé?" she asked.

Luke just shook his head and grumbled, "I must be even more crazy than she is. I'm marrying her," as he walked away from the table. Lorelai smile triumphantly while Rory and Finn laughed. The three then ate their breakfast and drank their pot of coffee. Each time Lorelai poured another cup Luke would remind her of the early death that would occur due to her addiction. When they had all finished, they said good-bye to Luke and went to the town square to enjoy the autumn festival.

"Wow," Rory said as she looked around the town square. "Taylor really outdid himself this time."

"Yeah, he did. And do you wanna know the best part?" Lorelai exclaimed with excitement in her voice. "There is no accapella group."

Rory laughed. "Thank god. It took days to get that stupid song out of my head."

Finn watched the girls laugh with confusion written all over his face. "I guess this is an inside joke?" he inquired.

Rory fought hard to control her laughter before explaining. "A few years ago we had a summer festival and Taylor hired an accapella group from New York to sing. They only sang one song the entire day, but they sang it over and over again. Mom and I continued to sing it for days afterward."

"It wasn't pretty," Lorelai added. "But I can sing it for you if you want?" Lorelai offered with an evil smirk.

"No!" Rory shouted.

"Oooooh, I have an idea," Finn interrupted trying to distract Lorelai from the rant that was forming in her head. "Let's go over to the petting zoo. There's nothing better than feeding little animals."

Lorelai grabbed Rory's hand with excitement and began to pull her in the direction of the zoo. "Oh Rory, I love petting zoos."

"Thanks," Rory said to Finn with agitation in her voice.

"What?"

"Now she's going to want to bring the animals home. You have no clue what you started."

"Oh don't worry love, I'll handle your mother." With a wink and a smile Finn walked Lorelai over to the petting zoo, leaving Rory smiling at their retreating backs.

It had only taken Lorelai twenty minutes to get attached to the baby sheep. Finn and Rory had to bribe her with the promise of cotton candy to get her to leave the zoo empty handed. After receiving her reward, Lorelai went to get her fortune told while Finn and Rory went to play some games. Rory had beat Finn at the water gun game, while Finn dominated Rory at the ball toss. They both won identical teddy bears that they promised to keep together on the couch of their apartment so they wouldn't be lonely. At 5:30 they had all decided they were hungry so they went to Luke's for burgers and French fries before they went back to the crap shack to change for Lane's band's performance.

"What does one wear to a town dance?" Finn inquired when he and Rory were in her bedroom.

"Overalls and a flannel shirt, of course," Rory mocked him.

"I would but I seemed to have left my cowboy hat at home," he replied with mock disappointment.

"I guess mom and I will have to go all by ourselves then," she teased earning her a glare from Finn. "Just wear jeans and a nice button down shirt or sweater. We're going to the town square, not a club in Manhattan."

Finn threw a rolled up shirt at her before leaving the room so both him and Rory could change. When he was finished getting dressed, he began to make a pot of coffee so they could each bring a mug with them. He was pouring the coffee into the three travel mugs when Rory came out of her room. He turned around to look at her and his heart melted. She was wearing a brown corduroy skirt with brown tights and a cream ribbed turtleneck. She had her brown fitted leather jacket on top and tied at her waist. Her hair was down and straight, adding maturity to her beauty. She had light pink blush on her cheeks, light brown eye shadow on her eyelids, and burgundy lipstick on her lips. Finn had never seen anyone so beautiful in his entire life. His heart began to beat rapidly and he couldn't help but smile at her.

"You look beautiful, love," he said sincerely.

Rory couldn't help the deep blush that appeared on her face, or the way her heart was rapidly pounding through her chest. She couldn't understand the reactions that she had been having towards Finn. 'He's just a friend,' she thought to herself before thanking Finn for the compliment. They were smiling at each other in a comfortable silence until Lorelai came down the stairs and hurried into the kitchen.

"Rory your roommate is a god," Lorelai gushed when she saw Finn holding up the three travel mugs.

"I've been told that many times," he cockily replied.

Rory looked at her mom sternly. "If you keep inflating his ego his head won't be able to fit through the door."

Lorelai laughed. "I knew he was endowed in more than one way."

"Dirty," Rory said in shock as the three walked towards the front door.

Lorelai walked out first allowing Finn a chance to lean over and whisper in Rory's ear. "Wouldn't you love to know how dirty me and my endowment can get?" he teased as she began to exit the house.

Rory's mouth opened, but no words came out. She swatted at Finn's arm as he fled the house. Although she seemed seemingly unaffected on the outside, Rory was feeling things on the inside that no man had ever made her feel. She took a deep breath before following Finn and Lorelai down the front walk. 'This is going to be one hell of a night' she thought to herself as she caught up with her mom and Finn.


	5. Can't Stop This Feeling

Chapter 5- Can't Stop This Feeling

2:15. That's what Rory's clock read as she looked at it for what seemed like the hundredth time since she went to bed two hours ago. After her mother, Finn, and herself returned from the festival they all decided that they were tired and each had gone to bed. However, Rory's mind had decided to work overtime after the events that had occurred that night. So here she was, lying in her bed, butterflies in her stomach, and a guy on her mind. A hot guy. A caring guy. A guy that she admired and trusted. A guy that was not her boyfriend. Things felt as if they were changing between Finn and herself, she had been feeling side effects from these changes all day. So here she lay in her bed trying to pinpoint exactly when the change had occurred. Rory's mind again returned to the events that occurred only a few hours earlier.

Flashback 

_When the three arrived back at the town square, Lorelai had gone to the diner to meet Luke. Finn and Rory were left alone to enjoy the activities the fair provided. They hadn't been walking around for too long when a sign had caught Rory's eye and had her bouncing with excitement. She grabbed Finn's arm and dragged him in the direction of the already gathering crowd._

_"Rory, where are we going?" Finn asked confused by her sudden determination._

_"Kirk's in the dunking tank," she said laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world._

_"Huh?" Finn asked confused._

_"Naked Kirk who always looses his clothes," she explained._

_"He has something on now right?" Finn asked with nervousness in his voice._

_"I hope so," she laughed as she pushed them to the front of the line._

_Rory was surprised how quickly Finn got into the game. At first he had felt bad for Kirk, Rory was relentless with her determination to dunk him. But after watching his tortured expressions and endless whining, Finn couldn't help but join in. The two laughed as they continued to throw balls at the target, dropping Kirk into a pool of water over and over. After awhile they began to feel bad about how many times he'd actually fallen in and decided it was time to move on to something new. _

_Rory had wanted to introduce Finn to Lane before the band went on, but she hadn't seen her best friend or Zach yet. Rory decided to take this opportunity to show Finn around the main town of Stars Hallow. As they walked around the square she told him more stories about some of her favorite memories of the town. During their walk, they also ran into many of the people that Rory often spoke of. Miss Patty had mercilessly flirted with Finn, allowing Babette a chance to pinch his butt. Taylor had questioned Finn on his opinion of American small town life as a "foreign" tourist, and Jackson had invited Finn to stop by his greenhouse to try some of his cross-pollinated fruits. The entire time Finn interacted with the important people in her life his face was lit with a smile._

_As they returned to the center of the fair, Rory noticed that the band's van was parked on the street near the wooden stage. She took Finn's hand and pulled him in the direction of the stage, telling him that she had someone she really important she wanted him to meet. When they went behind the stage she was greeted with a hug from Lane and Zach. She then introduced her best friend to her roommate. Rory was amazed by how quickly Lane and Finn took to one another. She had watched with a smile as Finn asked Lane about the night's playlist. He seemed to approve of the songs that were to be played and even threw a few requests out. Lane and Zach were impressed by his suggestions and promised that they would try and fit a few of them in._

_After a few minutes of talking, Zach suggested that they all have some Founder's Day Punch. Finn, who had been excited about the prospect of alcohol, had offered to take a walk with him and bring some back for the girls. Lane had decided to use their alone time and take the initiative to start the Finn conversation by playfully slapping Rory on the arm._

_"What was that for?" Rory asked while rubbing her arm._

_"Nothing," Lane answered with a smile. "Finn seems really nice. I think Zach likes him."_

_"He's a really nice guy. You should see him and mom together. It's scary," Rory laughed._

_"So how come you never mentioned how hot he is? Or the fact that he's extremely charming?" Lane inquired._

_"I don't know, maybe because I never saw a reason to."_

_Lane just gave Rory a look that implied that she didn't believe a word her friend was saying._

_"He's just a friend Lane, so you can stop giving me that look."_

_"What look, there was no look," Lane assured._

_"There was a look. A look that said 'Like I believe that'," Rory accused. "Finn is a really good friend. We have fun together. Plus he's one of Logan's best friends."_

_"Friend my ass," Lane laughed. "Rory the way you two look at each other when the other isn't watching is not the way two people who are just friends look at each other."_

_"Finn and I don't watch each other," Rory said firmly._

_"Okay, maybe I need a stronger prescription for my glasses."_

_"Don't mock me Lane. Look Finn and I have just become really close over the past two months. We live together. I know under normal circumstances it may be easy to fall for him, but I have a boyfriend. I love Logan very much. He may be in London, but we are both very committed to each other."_

_"I'm not trying to take away from what you and Logan have. I just think that this bond between you and Finn may be deeper than you realize," Lane tried to explain to her friend._

_"I appreciate your view, really I do, but there is not nor will there ever be anything going on between me and Finn."_

_The conversation ended there as Finn and Zach were nearing the stage with cups of punch. They all drank their drinks and talked for a while longer. After a short time, Zach announced that it was time to go on. Rory and Finn wished them all luck then went back to the square to find Luke and Lorelai and watch the show. _

_The four of them stood in the front row as Lane and her band performed. The mixture of 80's hair metal and pop, with some 60's and 70's, and the occasional newer stuff had Lorelai, Rory and the rest of Stars Hallow dancing. Even Luke was persuaded to join in on a song or two, which had Lorelai bouncing with joy. Towards the middle of the night Zach came to the microphone and announced that they were going to play a special request for a new friend. _

_When the first chords of "Hysteria" by Def Leppard played, Finn's face lit up. He turned to Rory and extended his hand. "C'mon love, what do you say we show these people how to dance?"_

_Rory blushed a little. "Finn, you know I don't like dancing. I'm not good at it," Rory informed him._

"_I've seen you dance, Ror. You look lovely." He then pushed his bottom lip out and gave his best attempt at using the famous Gilmore puppy dog eyes._

"_Oh god, that's pathetic, " Rory laughed._

_Finn just moved his face closer to Rory's as he began to bat his eyes. "But you're still going to dance with me aren't you?"_

"_Fine, let's go," she agreed as she grabbed his hand and led him to the dance floor._

_Finn had smiled at her as he allowed her to lead them to a spot on the floor. When they arrived on the portable dance floor in the middle of the square, Finn took Rory's right hand with his left and wrapped his other arm around her waist._

_As Finn's body came closer, excitement grew throughout Rory's body. She had to take a quick deep breath to calm herself as she wrapped her own arm around his neck. As she felt his arm tighten around her waist she began to relax. There was something about Finn that made her feel safe and comfortable. She didn't have to worry about what she said or how she acted. As they held each other and swayed to the music, Rory felt happy all over. She was happy about having Finn in her life and for the great weekend they were sharing. A heavenly accented voice cut through those thoughts of happiness._

"_I don't know what you were talking about. You are a terrific dancer," Finn complimented._

"_Why thank you," she said with a smile. "It doesn't seem so bad now."_

"_You just needed a good partner," he said with a smirk. "Huntzberger has nothing on these moves."_

_Rory laughed. "I'll be sure to tell him you said that."_

_The rest of the song was spent in silence. Rory rested her head against Finn's chest to avoid having to look into his eyes. Those eyes distracted her. Instead she let her head lay gently against the warm, hardness of his chest. She reveled in the comfort that was Finn until the song ended._

_Finn slowly inched away from Rory and took her hand. Slightly bowing down, he placed a gentle kiss on her knuckle. "Thank you for the dance Miss Gilmore. It was a pleasure."_

_Rory looked at him and laughed. "The pleasure was all mine, fine gentleman._

_The two then walked back to Luke and Lorelai, where they spent the rest of the night dancing and having a good time. When Lane's band finished their set, Rory and Finn went back stage to congratulate them and to say goodnight. They had all decided to meet for breakfast the next morning before Rory and Finn returned to school. Rory and Finn then walked home with Luke and Lorelai trailing behind them._

Rory shook her head from the cloud of memories it had floated to. She knew that she couldn't have feelings for Finn, yet she couldn't explain what she was feeling at the present moment. "I love Logan," she whispered to herself. Trying to distract any further thoughts of Finn, she picked up her cell phone and hit number three on her speed dial. The phone only rang twice before it was picked up on the other end.

"Hey Ace, what's up?" she heard her boyfriend ask.

"Hey, I just wanted to hear your voice," she whispered into the phone.

"You have no idea how much I miss you. I can't wait to see you in two weeks."

"Same here."

"How's your weekend going?" he asked

"Good. I'm actually in Stars Hallow for the autumn festival. I brought Finn with me."

"Wow, Finn came home with you?" Logan asked surprised. "I don't think Stars Hallow will ever be the same again."

"Probably not," she laughed.

"I hate to cut this short, but I have to go Ace. I'll see you in two weeks though."

"I can't wait. I love you."

"Love you too. Night, Ace."

All Rory heard was a dial tone. She hung up her cell phone and lay down in her bed. She felt a little better after talking with Logan. 'Everything will be okay once he comes home,' she thought to herself as she finally tried to go to sleep.

In the living room, Finn was tossing and turning on the couch. He hadn't been able to fall asleep after the night he had. All he kept thinking about was that dance with Rory. Her arms felt so warm wrapped around his body, and her face was like silk rubbing against his own face as they danced. He thought about the sparkle in her eyes as she watched him dance with Lorelai to her favorite Go-Go's song when Luke wouldn't, and the way she smiled at him when he walked her to her bedroom door and said good night. Finn knew something had happened between them today, it had probably been happening for a while now, and it wasn't good. He was falling for Rory Gilmore, his best friend's girlfriend. He hadn't even known it was happening. They were friends who hung out and went to the pub together. Nothing they ever did was romantic in any way. However, the racing of his pulse every time she came near him today told him something different. He had tried to ignore the way he was feeling thinking it had something to do with the two of them spending their weekend away from school and in her hometown, but he knew that was wrong when every time he closed his eyes to go to sleep he saw her face. He had feelings for a girl who was completely in love with somebody else, someone he too cared about.

'You need to calm down,' he thought to himself. 'It's just a little crush. You'll go back home, meet a pretty girl at the pub, and be over it. She's happy with Logan, you can't ruin that. Besides he's your best friend and you know she makes him happy. Rory is a friend and that is all.' With that final thought he smiled. 'We're only friends,' he thought again before turning over and finally getting some sleep.

The next morning Rory and Finn had both slept in trying to recover from their lack of sleep the night before. When Rory had finally woken up, she had found a note from Lorelai on her pillow telling her to meet her at Luke's for breakfast. Rory stretched as she got out of bed, and walked over to her closet to find something to wear. When she had finished getting dressed, she walked out into the living room to find Finn still asleep on the couch. Rory walked over to him and gently shook his shoulder. When he hadn't even stirred she began calling his name, but he still continued to snore. Getting frustrated with his lack of response, Rory decided to plop her self down on his stomach.

"Owww," he moaned while rubbing his eyes. "Are you trying to kill me woman?"

"Nope, just trying to wake the dead. I've been calling your name and shaking you for almost five minutes," she explained. "Mom wants us to meet her at Luke's for breakfast before we leave."

Finn sat up and stretched his arms. He then pushed Rory off of him and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and change. When he was finished, the two began to walk over to Luke's.

Rory, Lorelai, Finn, and Lane enjoyed a nice breakfast before Rory and Finn announced that they had to leave. As they were saying their good-byes, Lane took Rory off to the side.

"I'm sorry for over-stepping my boundaries last night," Lane said. "I really didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I reacted as badly as I did. You were just sharing your thoughts and I should have been respectful enough to listen to you, even though they are not accurate."

"Just let me say one last thing. I know you love Logan, I would never imply that you didn't, but sometimes things happen. All I'm saying is you and Finn seem to be really close and I can tell that you have special bond, don't lose that."

Rory smiled at Lane and then hugged her. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

The two girls then walked back to the group so Rory can finish saying good-bye. After hugging Luke and Lorelai and promising them both she she'd home to visit again soon, Rory and Finn got into the car and were heading back to Yale.

"Thank you for taking me home this weekend," Finn said while smiling at Rory. "I had so much fun with your mom and Luke."

"I'm glad you liked it. You were quite the hit with my friends."

Finn smiled. "Lane and Zach are great. And everyone else is exactly as you described them. It was easy to see why you love this place so much. You have great friends."

Rory looked him in the eye and smiled. "Yeah, I do," she said as she rubbed his hand with her own.

"Well I think you're a pretty great friend too," he said while turning his head back to the road.

Both were quite for the rest of the trip, each lost in their own thoughts. Neither one could explain the pang they felt in their heart when the other had used the word friend to describe what they were to each other. If they were truly just friends, then why did saying it hurt so much?


	6. Welcome Home

**A/N: **I'm back! I know it has been awhile. My laptop was broken and I Dell just shipped it back to me. The next chapter is almost finished so it should be posted by the end of next week or the beginning of the following week. The Finn and Rory explosion is getting close. Thanks for being so patient. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 6- Welcome Home

The two weeks between the fall festival and Logan's arrival went incredibly slow for Rory. The days seemed to run longer as her need to see him increased. She found herself calling him more often just to hear his voice, even when she knew he wouldn't answer. Logan was not the only man absent from her life these days, though. Since their return from Stars Hallow, Finn hadn't been around as much. They had spent some time together over the past two weeks hanging out and making small talk, but Finn's need to be at the pub every night returned with a vengeance leaving Rory a lot of time in the apartment alone. She found herself lonely at night and missed the small frame of time when Finn had stayed home to watch television or movies with her. She hadn't realized how attached she had become to those moments, but sitting here watching the T.V. by herself she found herself longing for the company of her roommate. She began to reminisce about the night Finn had cooked dinner for her. That was the night their own friendship began, one that had nothing to do with Logan. She continued to think about that night until a slamming door startled her out of her daydream. An excited looking Finn entered the living room two seconds later and sat down on the couch next to her.

"I have a genius idea," Finn told Rory as he put an arm around her shoulders.

"This should be good," she shot back with a smirk.

"I'm going to ignore your sarcasm, but only because you'll regret it once you've heard what I've got to say. I was thinking with Logan coming home for a week the LDB has a reason to celebrate, not that we really need one. However, what better way to welcome home my best friend and your boyfriend than with a party?"

"Logan's coming home tomorrow, we don't have enough time to put a party together."

"You underestimate my party planning skills," he said with an insulted tone. "I will forgive you, though, because the party won't be until Saturday. That gives Colin and Robert plenty of time to get here," Finn stated with a very pleased smile.

"Colin and Robert are coming?" Rory questioned.

"Not until Friday, leaving four whole days of alone time for you and Logan," Finn informed her while trying to hide the nausea that idea gave him.

"Wow, this is a great idea. And inviting Robert and Colin, Logan will be so happy to see them. You really did think of everything," Rory beamed.

"Including a theme." When Rory arched her eyebrow at him he continued. "With Halloween only a week away I figured a costume party would be perfect for the occasion."

"This is just an excuse for you to dress up and wear make-up," she teased.

"Well yes," he admitted. "But you love the idea anyway," he questioned.

"I do! What do we need to do?" she asked, worried that they wouldn't have enough time to get it all done.

"Nothing. Everything is taken care of. You just need to enjoy yourself," he explained while rubbing her shoulder with his finger.

She leaned further into him and wrapped her arms around his neck for a tight hug. "Thanks. I can't wait till this weekend. It's going to be perfect," she said with a smile.

Finn could only smile back. He loved to make her happy.

The next morning, Rory woke up with a smile on her face. In just a few hours Logan would be stepping off a plane for a full week with her. The excitement of seeing his face was the only thing that had Rory jumping out of bed early on a Monday morning.

After showering and eating a quick breakfast, Rory headed to the Yale Daily News office. She needed to get the layout for the next edition in order and ready to print so she wouldn't have to spend time on it during Logan's visit. When everything looked perfect, she left this week's assignment instructions on each reporter's desk and headed to her only class of the day. As she sat through the class, she found it impossible to pay attention. She kept staring at the clock, which told her that Logan was only two hours away. The excitement of seeing him was the only thing getting her through this tedious lector. After what seemed like forever, the class was finally over and Rory headed back to her apartment to grab her car. She couldn't wait any longer, so she got into her car and drove to the airport to wait for Logan's arrival.

She arrived at the airport early so she decided to get a cup of coffee. She couldn't believe that she was finally going to see Logan after all this time. She was excited, but also a little nervous. She had so many ideas and plans for this week and she was praying they would all work out. After taking a few sips from her cup, which helped calm her down a little, Rory began to walk towards the baggage area where she would meet Logan. She watched as others met their loved ones who had come to visit them or had come home from a trip. She smiled as they hugged each other, thinking that in a few minutes she would have Logan's arms wrapped around her. She began to walk over to the garbage can to throw her cup out when someone walked up behind her.

"I must have died and gone to heaven," said a familiar voice behind her. "I swear there's an angel in front of me."

Rory turned around and smirked at the man behind her. "Or perhaps I've fallen from grace," she retorted with a seductive smile.

"Not possible, Ace," Logan said as he wrapped his arms around her waist for a long tight hug. They stayed like that for a long time, just squeezing each other, till Logan loosened his hold so he could give her a short, but passionate kiss.

When he backed away, Rory looked at him and smiled. "I can't believe your really here," she said while holding his hands tightly.

"It feels so good to be here. I missed you," he told her before placing another quick kiss on her lips.

"I missed you too, but we have a whole week to catch up. I hope you're well rested," Rory said before turning and walking away from him.

He smiled at her retreating back before running to catch up with her. He put his arm around her shoulder as he whispered in her ear. "I've had five months of rest, I'm ready for a workout."

Rory just sent him a wicked smile before taking his hand and pulling him to the car. She couldn't wait to get him home.

When they arrived back at the apartment they were surprised to find that no one was home. Rory had called Finn's name but there was no response.

"Maybe he's still at class," Rory suggested.

"Or he's at the pub," Logan replied with a smile.

While they were talking, Rory made her way into the kitchen to make some coffee. As she went to place two mugs on the counter, she found a piece of paper with Finn's handwriting on it. She picked it up and began to read.

_Rory,_

_I've decided to go out tonight. I won't be home till very late (or if I'm lucky, not at all). Enjoy!_

_Finn_

Rory put the note down and smiled. She poured coffee into both cups and joined Logan in the living room. "Looks like we have the place to ourselves," she informed him with a smile while handing him the note.

Logan laughed as he read the note. He then reached out and pulled Rory onto the couch. "Well then, we should take advantage of it," he replied as he crawled up her body that was now lying on the couch. When their eyes finally locked, he bent down and placed a sweet tender kiss on her lips before using his tongue to lick her lips and ask for more. As the kiss heated, the need to remove clothing became more urgent. When all that was separating them was her bra and panties and his boxer briefs, he picked her up and carried her into their bedroom. He closed the door behind them, hiding them for the rest of the night.

Rory woke up the next morning to Logan's arms wrapped around her. She laid next to him for awhile, content to just stay in bed with Logan all day. Unfortunately, her clock told her that she had a class to go to in an hour and a half. She took one last look at her sleeping boyfriend before she gently removed his arm from around her waist. She walked to her closet and pulled out a comfortable pair of jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt, before entering the bathroom so she could shower.

She emerged from the bathroom half an hour later showered, dressed, and in desperate need of coffee. She quickly began to make her way down the hallway towards the kitchen. She stopped when she noticed Finn's bedroom door was open. She took a quick glance inside and noticed that his bed was made. 'Guess he didn't come home last night,' she thought to herself. "I wonder what money grubbing floozy caught his eye last night?" she mumbled to herself.

"A very cute redhead," Finn beamed, walking up behind her.

Rory jumped when she heard his voice. "Where did you come from?" she asked while trying to control the pounding of her heart.

"The front door," he laughed. "And before that the coffee stand," he informed her while handing over a tray with four cups of coffee on it.

"You scared the hell out of me," she told him as she slapped him on the arm.

"Oww," he whined. "There better a but to that or I'm taking your coffee back."

"But I'll forgive you because you bought me coffee," she smiled.

"And chocolate chip muffins." He smiled as she ripped the white paper bag from his hands and greedily pulled out one of the muffins. As Rory began to eat her muffin, Logan entered the kitchen rubbing his eyes.

"How I miss being woken up in the morning by an irritated Australian accent arguing," he said with a smile. "However, it's usually Colin that you're arguing with."

"Your girlfriend is much more fun, she hits."

Both boys laughed as Finn stood up to give Logan a manly hug.

"How are you doing man?" Logan asked.

"Great. How's London treating you?" Finn replied back.

"It's great, I'm thousands of miles away from dad. However, way too far away from this face," he said before kissing Rory on the lips.

Finn felt his stomach twist at the sight of Logan and Rory's lips touching. He didn't think he'd be able to handle watching the two of them like this all week. He was about to excuse himself when Rory stood up from the table.

"I wish I could stay but I have three classes today. You boys try and behave yourselves, okay?"

"We're big boys, Ace. We can handle ourselves," Logan said with a wink of his eye.

"That's what I'm afraid of." She gave Logan one last quick kiss on the lips and walked out the door, leaving the two boys alone for the rest of the day.

After the door closed, Logan took his cup of coffee from the holder Finn had brought home. He then joined his friend at the table. "How's it going man? How is it being in school for another year?"

"It's going well. I'm actually going to classes instead of sleeping off hangovers all day. Did you know that some professors are actually interesting?"

Logan laughed. "You know Ace has said that once or twice but I never believed her. I think she's rubbing off on you."

Finn laughed along with Logan. 'If you only knew,' he thought to himself.

"So things with Rory are well?" Logan asked cutting into Finn's thoughts.

"Yeah, we get along great. I think she enjoys the company. You being so far away is hard on her."

"It's hard for me too. I can't believe how much I miss her. I have this new job and all this work to do, yet I think about her all the time."

"I can see how that would happen. She's an amazing girl," Finn said trying to comfort his friend while thinking 'I can't seem to stop thinking about her either.'

"I'm glad she has you here with her. Thanks for being such a great friend to both of us."

All Finn could do was smile at his friend before quickly trying to change the subject from Rory. "I'm glad you said that because your great friend has planned the party of the year for your homecoming."

"You're kidding?" Logan asked even though he knew Finn wasn't.

"On Saturday night a costume party will be held in this apartment, in your honor of course, for LDB members new and old."

"New and old?" Who else is around other then you, me, and Rory?" Logan inquired.

"No one. However, the news of your visit has prompted your dear friends Colin and Robert to take a trip to New Haven for the weekend," Finn said dramatically.

"Really?" Logan asked surprised and excited at the same time. "Looks like this is going to be one hell of a party."

"It's going to be one of my best," Finn bragged as him and Logan clinked their coffee cups together.

Logan and Finn spent the rest of the day catching up. They walked around campus, had lunch, and visited with old friends. That evening Rory had met them for dinner, before they all ended the night with a visit to the pub. After a few beers, Rory and Logan had decided that it was time to go home. Finn had decided to stay and pursue a cute brunette who was eying him at the bar. They all said goodnight to one another and went in their separate directions.

The rest of the week went on in the same manner. Finn and Logan spent time together when Rory was not around, but once she came home Finn would disappear. It was easier for him not to be around them. Even though he knew that Rory and Logan loved each other it still made him uncomfortable to be around them. It was never this hard last year. Him and Rory had truly only been friends then, and they all used to hang out in a big group. Things had changed now. He had developed feelings for his friend's girlfriend and he felt guilty about it. He was afraid that if he spent too much time with the two of them that Logan would be able to see how he felt and he did not want that to happen. Logan was his best friend and he didn't want to do that to him. So Finn spent the week trying to avoid the awkwardness of being with the happy couple. The first night he had actually spent the night with the redhead from the bar, but in the morning he had such a horrible feeling of wrongness in his stomach that he left before she woke up. The rest of the week he had spent on the couch in Juliet and Rosemary's dorm room. Every morning he would come home and tell Logan about a girl he had met the night before, knowing that if he pretended everything was okay that maybe it would be. He was going to get over this idea of him and Rory together. He needed to. Rory and Logan were happy together, Finn just needed to find a way to be happy too.


	7. Can't Stop This Fight

Chapter 7- Can't Stop This Fight

Rory woke up to an annoying buzzing sound late Saturday morning. She had been listening to this sound for the past twenty-five minutes. Every time it stopped she was thankful, but moments later it would begin again. She lifted her head, hoping that it wasn't her phone that was vibrating. An enormous pain shot through her head and she quickly lay back down. She moaned as she covered her head over with the blanket.

Colin and Robert had arrived at the apartment around 7:30 last night. After both had settled in, the group went to the pub for dinner and a night of drinking. After drinking numerous electric lemonades and downing Jaeger bombs, they all stumbled home and happily collapsed in their beds.

Hearing Logan's phone vibrating again had Rory regretting the amount of alcohol she consumed the night before. Even the low sound of the phone moving against the night table caused Rory's head to pound. She felt Logan begin to stir next to her and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Please answer that. It's driving me crazy," Rory whined.

Logan kissed the top of Rory's head before picking up his phone. "Logan Huntzburger. Hey Bobby, what's wrong?"

Rory listened on as Logan continued to reply to Bobby with short, irritated answers. When he finally hung up the phone fifteen minutes later, he turned to Rory with a look of disappointment in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Rory questioned.

"That was Bobby. There's a huge problem with a publishing company and I have to go back to London to fix it."

"Tomorrow," she asked in a saddened voice.

"In two hours," he replied as he sat on the bed and grabbed her hands.

"But the party. Finn put so much work into it and he's looking so forward to it."

"I know Ace, so was I." He quickly pulled her towards him and hugged her.

"I was supposed to have two more days with you." Rory couldn't hold it in any longer and she began to cry.

"I know, but it's my father's company. I have to go. But hey, we'll see each other at Christmas. That's less than two months away. I promise that those two weeks will be just you and me." He then leaned down and gave her a soft, slow kiss on the lips.

"It just seems so long."

"Hey we did okay with five months. Two months will be a piece of cake." He smiled at her.

"I'm going to miss you."

"I always miss you."

"Promise you'll call me as soon as you land?"

"I promise." Logan then gave Rory one last passionate kiss before grabbing his suit case and walking out of the room.

Rory, upset and disappointed by Logan's sudden departure, decided to pull the covers back over her body. She lay like that for a long time. She wanted to stay there for the rest of the day, but a knock on her bedroom door put an end to that wish.

Finn slowly opened the door and peeked inside. He saw Rory cuddled up in her bed with a blank expression on her face. He closed her bedroom door and walked over to her bed.

"He love," he said quietly as he sat down next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" she replied bitterly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"Logan left. He's on his way back to London. What more is there to say?" Rory explained with sadness in her voice.

Finn just sat quietly. He knew a Gilmore rant was coming. He lay down next to her and squeezed her arm, encouraging her to continue.

"We were throwing him a party tonight. You worked so hard to pull it together, Colin and Robert came all the way up here, and we all spent money on costumes. Then he leaves. He wasn't supposed to leave until Monday. This was my week with him and he leaves."

Finn pulled Rory in for a hug. He felt bad for her, it was obvious she was hurting. "Logan would not have left if it weren't a complete emergency." Rory looked over at him as if she didn't believe what he was saying. "I saw him on his way out, Ror. He was upset to be leaving. He would much rather be here."

"I know. It's just so hard. I hate being away from him."

"Well I don't think he's too fond of it either, but it's almost November. Finals are coming up and before you know it you will be on a plane to London for Christmas." Finn noticed Rory smile a little. "Until then, you and I are going to have some fun," he continued. "Logan may not be here but that doesn't mean Finn and Rory can't throw a damn good part."

"Finn, I don't think I'm in a party mood right now."

"Well you better get into one. The festivities start at nine." Finn gave Rory a quick kiss on the top of her head and walked out the door. He joined Colin and Robert in the living room, where the three began to set up the bar and decorations. When the place was perfectly arranged and the bar was fully stocked, they went to their separate rooms to get ready for the party.

After Finn left Rory's room she remained in bed. She fell asleep for awhile, and when she woke up she was in a slightly better mood. She looked at her cell phone and noticed that Logan had called. She listened to the voicemail that he had left informing her that he had landed in London. When she was finished she deleted the voicemail and threw the phone on her bed. She walked to the closet and took out the costume she had bought for tonight. Her and Logan were going to go as Ken and Barbie. Deciding that she didn't want to be reminded of Logan's quick departure, she shoved the dress back into her closet. She quickly grabbed her keys and her bag, and ran out the door yelling to Finn that she would be back soon. Rory wasn't exactly sure what she was doing, but she was in a mood and she was going with it.

When she returned to the apartment an hour and half later she went straight to her room and got her stuff ready to take a shower. After the shower she worked on her hair, making sure she had loose curls flowing throughout it. When it was time to put her make-up on, she made sure to make it a little more noticeable than usual. Her hair and make-up were flawless and exactly the way she had envisioned it in her head. It was now time to start putting on her costume. She carefully pulled it out of its bag and slipped it over her body. When the top and bottom were in place she pulled her knee length boots on, before adding the appropriate accessories to her costume. When she was finished, she stood in front of her mirror with her eyes closed, nervous to see exactly what she looked like. She took in a big breath of air and slowly released it before allowing herself to open her eyes and see what she looked like. She almost inhaled sharply at the vision before her. She looked hot and for the first time ever it wasn't for a guy, it was for herself. She smiled wickedly at her reflection before walking to her bedroom door to join the party, which had already started.

9:25 was the time on Finn's watch. He had checked it at least four times since the party had started almost half an hour ago. Rory was still in her room and he was beginning to think that she was never coming out. She had come home two hours ago and had been locked in her room ever since. He felt bad. He knew she had been upset about Logan leaving early, but he had hoped their talk earlier in the afternoon would have convinced her to join in the festivities this evening. He was about to go and try talking to her again, when Colin and Robert appeared with Juliet and Rosemary.

"This is a great party Finn. You may have actually outdone your birthday," Juliet said with a raised eyebrow.

"Thanks kitten, I truly have outdone myself, haven't I?"

"Modesty really works for you," Colin laughed as he put his arm around Finn's shoulder.

"I just have good self-esteem," Finn joked.

"So Finn, where's Rory? I haven't seen her," Rosemary questioned.

"She hasn't come out yet. She's still upset that Logan left." Finn kept staring at the hallway that led to her room. He told himself that if she wasn't out of there in five minutes that he was going in to get her.

"She's pissed? Do you know how much it cost me to come here this weekend to see my friend for all of five hours?" Robert stated irritably.

"Nothing," Finn stated looking right in his eyes with a smirk on his face. "You wrote it off as a business expense."

"Cheers to that," Robert laughed as they all clinked their glasses together and took a sip from the cups in their hands.

Finn was chugging his glass of whiskey when Rory entered the room. As soon as he lowered his cup, his eyes locked on her figure making its way across the room towards him and his friends. His jaw dropped at what he saw in front of him. Her hair was down and wavy and it blew back as she strutted towards him. Her face was illuminated with pink blush and light blue eye shadow. Her lips were a berry color that shined with the gloss that was applied on top. He'd never seen her wear make-up like that, but it made her look extremely sexy. Not that she needed any make-up to look sexy; she always seemed to look sexy these days. What was most surprising was not Rory's hair and make-up though, it was her costume. Her tight, short-sleeved shirt stopped right below her breasts. Her cleavage could be seen due to the lack of closed buttons on her shirt. Her white stomach looked tight, as it lay between the areas of blue material. Her skirt hung low on her hips, and helped accentuate her curves. It fell about three inches below her butt and left a large portion of her thigh peeking through before her long black boots clung to the rest of her legs. Finn couldn't breath. He had pictured Rory in so many seductive ways over the past few weeks, but never could his imagination create what he saw in front of him. His self-restraint lowered the closer she got, and Finn was grateful for all the people that were in their apartment. When she finally reached the group, he quickly regained the ability to speak and allowed a smirk to grace his lips.

"Officer Gilmore, cuff me. I'm thinking dirty things," Finn admitted as he held his hands together out in front of him.

"I'm more interested in having her use this on me," Robert flirted as he held up the nightstick that hung from the belt around Rory's waist.

"Calm down boys, I'm not roughhousing anyone," Rory flirted back. She then turned to Rosemary and Juliet. "I haven't even had a drink yet and they're already hitting on me."

Both girls laughed with Rory.

"Well love, let me fix that," Finn offered. "What will the lady be drinking tonight?"

"Surprise me," she told him with a raise of her eyebrow.

"Excellent," Finn replied with a smile before leaving the group to go to the bar.

"God Rory, you look hot," Rosemary exclaimed.

"Too bad you're taken. You could have had some serious fun tonight," Juliet added with mischief in her voice.

"Who says I still can't," Rory asked earning her a smile from both girls.

"Well I don't know what Logan was thinking," Colin cut in. "But leaving was obviously the wrong choice."

Rory put her arm through Colin's and squeezed it. "Thanks Colin."

Finn watched Rory from the bar. She looked gorgeous tonight. She had quite literally taken his breath away when she walked into the room. He knew he had to get himself back into check before he went over there. He couldn't risk Rory or any of his other friends finding out how he felt about her. He knew this was going to be a difficult night. He just needed to keep some space between the two of them and he would be fine. When the bartender returned with his and Rory's drink, he began to walk back over to his friends.

"Your drink my dear," he said as he handed Rory her drink. He watched as she took a sip, waiting for her reaction.

"Mmm fruity and strong, just the way I like it," she smiled before taking another big gulp.

"Slow down girl," Rosemary said looking at her with wide eyes as Rory continued to down her drink.

"Hey, I need to catch up. You guys have almost an hour of drinking up on me."

"Well, then another drink," Colin said as he stopped a girl carrying a tray of shots. "Lets toast, to a night of drinking and fun. In omnia paratus."

"In omnia paratus," they all yelled before downing the shot.

"Let's dance," Juliet yelled as she grabbed Rory and Rosemary's hands.

"Later boys," Rosemary waved as she allowed Juliet to drag her and Rory to the dance floor.

"Well boys, there are some hot ladies here," Robert said while pointing towards two blondes and a brunette standing against the wall. "Shall we."

Colin smiled and began to follow him over. Finn stood there for a moment. There was only one girl that he wanted to hang out with, but he knew she was not available. He looked over at Rory who was moving her hips to a Diddy song the D.J. was playing. The only way to forget about her was to pretend that everything was okay, so he walked over to where Colin and Robert were and began to flirt with the brunette.

Rory watched Finn walk over to the group of girls that Robert and Colin were talking to. She couldn't explain the feeling of, was it anger that was running through her? It kind of felt like anger, but stronger and much more intense. She couldn't explain it. She couldn't take her eyes off of them. She was trying to dance and have fun, but the scene was too much for her to turn away from. Why does he always go for the same type of girl? She watched how the girl he was speaking with was giggling and flipping her hair around. Did she actually think that was a turn on? Rory quickly turned her attention away from the group when Juliet waved her hand in front of her face.

"Hey you okay?" Juliet asked, concerned that Rory may have gone back to being upset about Logan.

"I'm fine, just dazed out for a moment," she said while turning her back towards Finn so she wouldn't get distracted again. "I could use another drink though."

"Me, too," Rosemary chimed in.

"To the bar then," Juliet said. The girls all turned and began to walk towards their destination.

Finn was getting bored talking to the brunette. He hadn't been paying attention to her since the conversation began. She must not be noticing though, because she keeps moving closer and closer to him. He knows she's whispering in his ear, probably something dirty, but he's not paying attention. He's too busy searching the room for Rory. He had lost track of her a few minutes ago when she walked off with Rosemary and Juliet and he hadn't been able to find her again. Again he felt the breath of the brunette on his ear. This time it was accompanied by her arms draping around his neck. He needed to get away from her. What started off as a distraction was quickly becoming an annoyance. "Excuse me doll. I have to get a drink," he told the girl as charmingly as he could muster up. He didn't even wait for a reply before he turned around and quickly began to walk over to the bar.

As he walked he searched the crowd for Rory. He had seen her leave the dance floor with Rosemary and Juliet, but had not seen in what direction they were headed. As he passed the area where people were dancing, he quickly scanned the crowd in case the girls had returned. When he did not see her face he sighed in frustration. 'Look how I'm acting?' he thought to himself. 'What is this girl doing to me?' Deciding that the drink he told the girl he was going to get was now needed, he began to weave his way through the crowd of people. He'd been so distracted by his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed how many people were in his apartment. The music was blasting and everyone was having a good time.

As the bar came into view, he noticed that there were three girls dancing on top of it. Finn laughed and continued to walk closer. He was about fifteen feet from the bar when he stopped dead in his tracks. Right in front of him, dancing on the bar, was Rory Gilmore. He quickly looked over to see that the two girls accompanying her were Rosemary and Juliet. The three girls were all laughing while swaying their hips to the hip hop song blaring through the radio's speakers. He couldn't believe that Rory was up there like that. She was so shy about dancing when they went to go see Lane's band, but now she was up there, so uninhibited, and seducing half the guys in the room. He smirked as he continued to watch her dance. 'She'll never know how truly amazing she is,' he thought to himself.

Rory couldn't believe that she was actually doing this. Sure she joked with her mother about being a Coyote Ugly girl, but she had never intended to actually do it. Yet there she was, after being dragged up by Rosemary, dancing on the bar and actually enjoying herself. 'It's amazing what alcohol can give you the strength to do,' she laughed to herself. She looked over at Rosemary and Juliet who were back-to-back and grinding up and down each other. She smiled at Juliet, who in return blew her a kiss. Rosemary, who had now turned around, caught a glimpse of Finn staring and walked over to Rory.

"I think we have a fan," she whispered in Rory's ear as she wrapped her arms around Rory's waist.

"I can handle this one," Rory laughed as she swayed down and then back up with a wicked grin on her face before breaking away from her.

She walked the small distance to where Finn was standing and knelt down on the bar right in front of him.

"Like what you see?" she asked with a smirk.

He didn't answer the question. He only gave her his own smirk in return. "You know love, you never seem to stop amazing me."

"How so?" she flirted back.

"I just can't believe that the same girl who was embarrassed to dance with me in front of her town is now dancing on top of a bar in front of complete strangers."

"Don't worry, you'll hear my cries of embarrassment tomorrow when I'm sober," she promised him.

"I look forward to it," he said with a smile. "But just so Lorelai will believe me I took pictures, and a five second video clip on my phone," he laughed.

"Finn! Erase that right now." She playfully demanded.

"No, because deep down you don't want me to. Besides, you know your mother will be proud of you."

"She will be jealous," Rory giggled.

"Absolutely."

Suddenly the beat to **_Sexy Back_** came blasting through the stereo. Rory giggled and grabbed Finn's hand.

"Come on," she said with a smile as she hopped off of the bar.

"You want to dance to Justin Timberlake? I didn't think you liked this music," he asked with a grin.

"Shh, don't tell Lane," she loudly whispered before pulling on his hand and dragging him to the dance floor.

When they arrived on the floor, Rory turned her back to Finn. She grabbed his arms and wrapped them around her waist before she started to swing her hips to the beat of the music. Finn quickly found Rory's rhythm and let his hips follow her motion. As both became more comfortable, they began to let their movements take over their bodies. Rory began dipping lower, swaying her ass up and down Finn's waist and legs. She continued to grind her ass into him as his arms pulled her in tighter and tighter. Both were completely hypnotized by the music and the other's movements.

Finn was trying so hard to control himself. Rory was turning him on like no other girl could. Every time he felt her butt rub against him he felt himself become more turned on. If he didn't do something fast, she would soon be able to feel the affect she was having on him. He quickly took her by the waist and turned her around, thinking that dancing face to face would help his situation out, but he was wrong. When he turned Rory around, she let her arms encircle his neck and pulled him closer to her. He felt her breath on his neck and it was like sweet torture. Just as quickly she pulled away and lowered herself towards the ground as she swayed her hips. As she was making her way up, she looked up and gave Finn a seductive smile. When Finn locked eyes with her, he could see the pure lust that was clouding over them. He couldn't take it anymore; he wanted this girl but couldn't have her. He quickly distanced himself from Rory and fled the dance floor.

Rory looked at him confused. 'What the hell was that?' she thought as she began to follow him to the back of the apartment. She quickly walked, trying to catch up to him. She saw him heading towards his room and began to push people out of her way. He was just about to close the door when she reached his room and stuck her hand out to stop it from closing.

"Rory! What the…" he yelled before she cut him off.

"What happened back there? Why did you just leave?" she demanded.

"I don't know, I felt dizzy. I just need to lie down," he tried to explain. He couldn't tell her the real reason about why he left her. He wanted her, and not just for sex. He wanted her to love him like he had fallen in love with her.

"That's bullshit. You're fine. I see it in your eyes. What's really going on?" Her voice was getting louder as she talked. Why was he lying to her and treating her like this?

"Just let it go, okay?" He was pleading with her. He just wanted her to go away before he lost control.

"No, I won't let it go. Why are you acting like this? I don't deserve this? We're supposed to be friends, why can't you talk to me?"

"Rory just go back out there and enjoy yourself." He was screaming now. He couldn't help it; he had no control over his actions.

"I'm not leaving till you come out there with me," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest, making her boobs pop out a little more.

"Don't do that," he groaned.

"Don't do what?" she asked irritated and confused.

"That," he yelled while gesturing his hands towards her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't," he sighed.

"Will you just come back out there with me?" she asked extending her hand. He just looked at it, not saying a word. "If you don't come out, I'll just stay in here with you all night long."

He took her hand, but didn't move. She looked up at him and into his eyes. Electricity shot down his back and he couldn't ignore it anymore. He quickly pulled her towards him and slowly placed his lips onto her's. At first she didn't respond, and he was going to let go. But then, he felt her place her hands on his arms and move her lips against his. The kiss was slow and gentle. It was everything he wanted, and yet not enough. His arms wrapped around her waist and he rubbed her lower back as their lips continued to move against each other. He was in heaven, and couldn't imagine anything ever feeling better than this.

Rory was shocked when Finn's lips first descended onto hers. She didn't know what was happening or why Finn would do that. The feeling of confusion quickly faded and was taken over by something she had never felt before. What was it? She didn't know, but whatever it was led her to put her hands on Finn's arms and encouraged her lips to respond to Finn's. She began kissing him back, enjoying it more and more each time her mouth moved against his. When she felt him suck her bottom lip into her mouth, she couldn't help but let a soft moan escape. This was the most amazing kiss she had ever experienced. Not even Logan could kiss her like this. At that thought she pulled away. How could she be kissing another guy when she was already dating Logan, and why did she only think of this now?

When Rory pulled away Finn looked her deep in the eyes. His breathing was ragged and he was trying to calm down. He watched her face as it changed from confusion to disappointment. He couldn't tell if she was disappointed in him or herself.

"Oh, god," was all Rory could seem to say.

"Love, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," he stuttered as he tried to apologize.

"Finn we both did that," she whispered, trying hard to understand what was going on.

He didn't answer her. He had no answer, at least none that she would want to hear right now.

"I have a boyfriend. Logan was here this morning, and now I'm kissing someone else. His best friend?" Rory was starting to panic. Tears were threatening to fill her eyes and the crack in her voice surely gave that away.

"Rory, calm down. You were upset that Logan left, you had a little too much to drink, and things happened," Finn tired to explain.

"And you?" she asked.

"I was lonely and I've bee drinking too," he weakly replied. He couldn't tell her how he felt now. He wouldn't be able to handle it, and he refused to lose her. He needed her in his life, even if was only as a friend.

"Some how I doubt Logan will understand that," she retorted sarcastically.

"Logan doesn't need to know. Look, we're two friends who were lonely and upset and we slipped up. Did the kiss mean anything to you?" he questioned, wishing with all his might that it did.

"No, of course not," she said. As she spoke she felt a lurch in her stomach. She couldn't quite explain the feeling, but it didn't feel right.

Finn's heart shattered when he heard her response. He knew she loved Logan, but deep down he wanted her to feel about him the way he felt about her. "It didn't mean anything to me either," he told her. "I think we should both go out there and enjoy the rest of the night. We can just pretend this never happened."

"Okay," Rory said as she nodded her head at Finn before turning around and walking out the door. However, Rory didn't really feel like partying anymore, she just wanted to be alone. She quickly walked down the hall into her room and closed the door. She slowly made her way over to her mirror and stared at her reflection in the glass. 'Your okay, Rory,' she thought to herself. 'You've been drinking a lot tonight and you're upset. Just get some sleep and you'll be fine in the morning.' With that, Rory took her costume off and replaced it with a t-short and comfortable pajama pants. She slowly crawled into bed and turned her light off. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep with images of her and Finn kissing still clouding her mind.

After Rory left his room, Finn had no desire to continue this little party. He lay on his bed and thought about the kiss that he had shared with Rory. He had dreamed of that moment for so long and the reality was better then anything he could have imagined in his mind. But then the kiss ended, and he was forced to see Rory's face. In his thoughts, Rory had always been happy and they would begin kissing again and again until they were both out of breath and couldn't kiss anymore, but that was not the case tonight. Rory looked sad, hurt, and confused. He hadn't meant for any of that to happen, but he couldn't help himself. She was there, holding her hand out to him and he wanted nothing more then to take it, to let her take him with her. But reality is that he can't have her, her heart belongs to someone else. He let out a frustrated groan as thoughts of Rory and Logan filled his mind. Tonight was proof that Rory would never be his. He had kissed her, and even though she had kissed him back at first, in the end she had rejected him. He needed to get over this, over her, and move on. He turned his lamp out and pulled his blanket over his head, beginning a long and sleepless night.

The next morning both Rory and Finn woke up feeling horrible. Finn was hurt and upset by the reality of the situation that he had gotten himself into. Rory, however, could not explain why she was upset. She knew she should have been upset with herself for kissing someone other than Logan, but somehow, that didn't seem to be it. Neither wanted to face the other, but both knew they couldn't avoid each other forever. Deciding that the situation needed to be dealt with before things got worse, they both made their way to their bedroom doors so they could go to the other's room. They opened their doors and walked intently out into the hallway, almost colliding with each other.

"Hey," Rory said when she saw him.

"Hi," she quietly responded back.

"Finn, can we talk?" she asked, while wringing her hands together.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." He quietly followed her down the hall to her bedroom. When they were both inside, she closed the door so Robert and Colin wouldn't be able to hear if they woke up.

"So…. interesting night last night," Rory tentatively started.

Finn let out a nervous laugh. "You could say that?"

"Look, I don't want things to be weird between us. I like living with you and hanging out with you. I don't want that to change," Rory explained.

"Neither do I," he responded sincerely. He didn't want to lose what they had. He couldn't let his growing romantic feelings towards her ruin that. "Rory we're friends, always. Last night was a mess up. It doesn't change anything. If you are willing to move on from it, so am I."

"I am. I just need to know that we're okay?" she questioned.

"We'll always be okay," he said while smiling at her. He stood up and walked towards her. "So we're still friends?"

She smiled at him as she stood up. "We're still friends," she said as she shook his hands.

The two then laughed as they walked out of the room and into the kitchen to have breakfast with their friends. Even though they had pretended it didn't, the kissed changed things between Finn and Rory. Both felt that deep inside. They couldn't predict what would happen in the future, but they both knew that they could never go back to the way things were before.


	8. You're All I Want, My Fantasy

A/N: Hey guys! I know I promised this chapter two months ago, but I had a difficult time writting this chapter. It is such an important chapter to my story and I needed it to be perfect. After two months a writing, deleting, editing, and revising it's finally here. I really hope it was worth the wait. Please review! Rereading all your reviews is what kept me motivated to finish this chapter whaen all I wanted to do was stop. So I quit the long winded babble and let you enjoy!

Chapter 8- You're All I Want, My Fantasy

Things between Rory and Finn were strange for the first few weeks after the kiss. Both had tried hard not to let the situation affect their friendship, but the tension was evident every time they were around each other. When they watched television, they sat on opposite sides of the couch. They remained friendly and continued to hang out with each other with their other friends, but around each other action seemed forced and fake. The distance and tension was enough to drive both of them insane.

Finn laid on the living room couch replaying the recent events in his mind. He could remember the feeling of Rory's lips on his own and it made him tingle all over. It was the most amazing and most awful thing he had ever experienced. That short time that his lips were attached to hers made him realize just how strong his feeling for Rory were. He wanted her, but he couldn't have her. He had been trying so hard these past few weeks to make it seem like he didn't care, that him and Rory were only friends, but at night all he could do was fantasize about those lips and what it would be like to be the only man in Rory's life.

Rory sat in her bedroom surrounded by books and papers. Finals were this week and she needed to do well. She knew that she had memorized almost everything that could be put on any of her finals, but studying kept her mind off of the thoughts she had been avoiding for over a month and a half now. Finn and his lips seemed to invade her mind anytime it wasn't preoccupied with anything else. She found herself dreaming about that kiss at night and fantasizing about it while she was awake. She would wonder what would have happened if she weren't dating Logan, and came up with numerous scenarios that would make her blush. When her mind came back down to earth, she would remember the reality of her situation and feel guilty. She was dating Logan and Finn was just a friend. He had said it himself, they were only friends and his actions over the past month and a half have shown her that friendship is the only thing he is looking for. She let out a loud sigh and looked at all her notes scattered around the room. 'Well it doesn't look like I'm getting anything accomplished like this,' she thought to herself. 'Maybe a walk to the coffee stand will help clear my head.' She quickly grabbed her coat, scarf, and gloves before exiting the room. She walked down the hall, and stopped by the kitchen counter so she could put everything on.

"Where are you off to?" Finn's voice asked from the living room couch, causing Rory to jump a little.

"You really need to stop doing that. You're going to give me a heart attack one day," Rory accused.

Finn laughed. "I'm sorry, love, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just curious where you were running off to in such a hurry. You've been locked in your room studying for hours. I'm dying to know what has gotten you to leave your books," he whispered like a high school girl waiting to hear the latest juicy gossip.

"Coffee," Rory stated simply.

"I should have known," Finn grinned while shaking his head. "Can I join you or is this a solo trip?" he asked.

"You have thirty seconds or I'm leaving without you," she informed him.

Finn quickly grabbed his coat from the closet and joined Rory at the door. He opened the door, allowing her to walk through first, and the two began their journey to find a coffee stand on campus.

"So why are we walking to school to get coffee when we have a café right down the block?" Finn asked curiously.

"Because I could use a walk to clear my head," she said as she turned to look him in the eyes. Unfortunately her eyes took a detour to his lips, something they seemed to be doing a lot lately when she was looking at Finn. She quickly turned her head back, hoping that she wasn't blushing. 'Why did I let him come?' she thought to herself. 'I went on this walk to clear my head of all images of him and his lips.' She shook her head. She had to remain calm, once she did that her mind would clear and she would be fine.

Finn had seen her staring at his lips and it took all the self-control he had to keep himself from grabbing her and kissing her right there on the street. These past few weeks all he could think about was that kiss. As wrong as it had been, it was still the most amazing thing he had ever experienced. He had never felt so connected to a girl before in his life. Rory Gilmore brought him to life, and he had never felt as alive as he did when they shared that kiss. 'Stop,' he thought to himself. He had to keep the conversation going; otherwise his mind might create images that he may not be able to ignore. "So you're leaving for London on Saturday?"

"Yeah, I have so much to do before then, I don't know how I'm going to get it all done."

"You will. And if you need help, I'll be there," he said while wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Thanks Finn. I appreciate that." Rory then wrapped her arm around his waist.

They continued to walk that way all the way to the coffee stand. Finn couldn't help but think that Rory felt perfect in his arms. The warmth of her hand on his hipbone warmed his entire body on this cold December day. He wished they could stay like that forever, but when they arrived at the coffee stand Rory broke away to order her drink.

After they both got their drinks, they began to walk back to their apartment. Finn and Rory didn't have their arms wrapped around each other, but they were walking extremely close to one another.

"I wish I could stay out here and walk around forever," Rory stated.

"Why? We would freeze," Finn said while looking at her.

"I just don't want to study anymore. Why can't finals be over already?"

Finn laughed. He couldn't believe that of all people, Rory didn't want to study anymore. "How about we don't study then?" he stated.

"Finn, finals start tomorrow. We have to study."

"How about we go home, order some Chinese take out, and study for a few hours? Then we can have a half hour of free time and get to bed by 10:30, ensuring that we get enough rest for our exams."

Rory looked at him dumbfounded. "That's not a bad idea," she said with a surprised tone.

"Just because no one knows that I study, doesn't mean that I don't do it."

"This might be one of those things I need to see with my own eyes," she teased as she stopped in front of their building.

Finn opened up the door and allowed her to walk through. "Well then get ready to be surprised," he said while following behind her into the elevator.

When they got upstairs, Finn took the phone and ordered the food while Rory collected her books and notes from her room and arranged them on the living room table. They both sat on the floor on opposite sides of the coffee table reading their books and making notes on information that may be important. They were both heavily involved in their reading when a beep came from Finn's phone.

Finn pressed some buttons to make the beeping sound stop before he walked over to Rory and took the book she was reading out of her hands.

"What are you doing?" she asked him angrily.

"Two hours is up. It's time to relax now," Finn said as he lay on the couch and turned the television on.

"Just a half hour more," Rory stated grabbing for the book.

Finn put it under him and shook his head. "You know it, Ror. You're going to do fantastic on your test. Now go get some ice cream from the fridge, watch some T.V. with me for a few minutes, and then go to bed."

She huffed as she walked into the kitchen. She reappeared two minutes later with a container of cookie dough ice cream and two spoons. She sat down next to Finn and handed him a spoon. They flipped through the channels, stopping every now and then to watch something they found funny. Rory smiled as she watched Finn out of the corner of her eye. Today was the first day since the kiss that they had truly acted like they used to. Everything from their walk for coffee, to their take out dinner, to watching T.V. was exactly as it should be. Rory was happy to have her friend back, but she couldn't help the little ache in her heart at the thought that Finn hadn't been feeling what she had over the past few weeks.

On the other side of the couch, Finn was experiencing some heartache of his own. Rory seemed so happy today when he brought up her trip to London. It hurt every time she spoke of Logan and how much she missed him. He knew that they were together so of course she would miss him, but it always hurt to hear her say it. This whole situation frustrated him and he didn't know what to do anymore. He didn't want to lose Rory but the feelings were becoming harder and harder to control. Needing time to clear his head, Finn turned the power off on the television.

"Alright missy, it's time to get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow," Finn said in a very fatherly tone.

"You know, I think I should be recording this or something. Mom would get a good laugh over this one, and imagine what your friends would say?" Rory teased.

"They'd never believe you," he retorted confidently.

"Don't be so sure."

"Alright miss smarty pants, all that studying you did will be no good if you stand here fighting with me all night instead of getting some rest."

"I'm going, I'm going," she said as she began to walk towards the hallway. She stopped before she was out of Finn's view. "Hey, thanks for tonight, it really helped."

"It was my pleasure. Good night."

She gave him once last smile before wishing him a good night and heading to her room for a good night's rest.

The next few days were very similar to that. Rory would come home after her finals, study with Finn while eating take out, and then go to bed. Each morning Finn would get her coffee and muffins, and they would eat before going to take their tests. By the time Friday morning came, Rory was ready for her last final and once again excited to be going to London. She was in the living room packing her bag with paper and pens when Finn came into the room.

"So last final of the semester. Are you ready?" he joked.

"I hope so," she said, a little unsure.

"Come on, love, you'll be fine. I've been watching you study for the last few weeks. There is no way that you could be unprepared."

"Thanks Finn," she said, giving him a small smile. "Wish me luck."

"You don't need it, but good luck," Finn told her while squeezing her shoulder.

She gave him one last smile and walked out the door heading towards her class. Her final was surprisingly easy. She wasn't sure if it was because of all her studying or if the professor had made the test that way. Either way she left the lecture hall feeling both relaxed and relieved. Deciding that she deserved a little enjoyment before going home to pack, Rory stopped at a little café just off campus to get some coffee and read. She sat in a plush armchair sipping her coffee and enjoying her book for a little over and hour before she decided to go home and get started on her packing. When she walked through the door of the apartment, she was surprised to see Finn sitting on the couch waiting for her.

"So, how was the test?" he asked.

"Surprisingly easy, but I don't want to jinx myself," she told him.

"Oh stop, you know you aced it."

"I won't know anything until I get my grades back."

"At which time you will receive a big 'I told you so' from me" Finn said while grinning at her.

"I can't wait," she answered sarcastically. "But right now I don't have time to argue whether I did or didn't get an A. I have so much packing to do."

"Well if you need any help, I'll be right here on this couch watching T.V."

"You're packed for Australia already?" Rory asked both surprised and amazed.

"Well I had to do something while you were taking your final. I was bored," he whined.

Rory just shook her head and laughed. "I'm impressed. I figured you'd be throwing whatever clean clothes you have in a suite case five minutes before you had to leave for the airport."

"You're really starting to hurt my feelings you know that?" he asked with mock hurt

"I'm sorry, Finny. Let me make it up to you?"

Usually Finn would have made some sort of sexual innuendo to a comment like that, but he couldn't do that now. He couldn't let her see how deeply she affected him. "How?"

"After I finish packing, I'll buy you a drink at the pub."

"Hmmm…" he cooed, pretending to ponder her offer. "I guess that's a start."

"Well think about what else I could do to make you happy and get back to me," she yelled over her shoulder as she walked down the hall to her room to pack.

"You already make me happy," he whispered as he lay back down on the couch and covered his face with a pillow in frustration. 'I have to get over her,' he thought to himself. 'Starting tomorrow, I'm moving on.'

Rory sat in her room packing various clothes, shoes, and toiletries that she would need for her trip. As she put each item into her suite case, she put a check next to where the item was on her list. After she had checked and double-checked that she had everything she needed for London, she went out into the living room to find Finn.

"Well, I think I have everything," she stated as she flopped herself down on the couch.

"Well then, I think it's time for my repayment then. To the pub?" he asked while getting up from the couch.

"Finn with alcohol on his mind," she smiled at him. "Will you ever change?"

"Do you really want me to?"

She thought for a minute. She knew the answer in her mind already, but she didn't want to seem too eager to answer. "You know what? I really wouldn't want you to change."

"Good, then alcohol here we come."

Finn and Rory walked over to the pub where they met Rosemary, Juliet, and a few others that Rory recognized from the Life and Death Brigade. They sat at their usual table towards the back. The group drank, talked, and listened to the band that was playing on the stage. They were all enjoying their time together before they all left for the holidays in the morning. Even Paris came by and had a cosmopolitan with Rory before heading home to meet Doyle. As the night went on, the group slowly started to get smaller. By 2 o'clock Finn and Rory were the only ones left in their group.

"I do believe, Miss Gilmore, that you have out stayed the other females of our little group. You truly have become the party princess," Finn said with a smile and a raise of his glass.

"My mom will be so proud," she said in an airy voice.

"We should probably go though, we both have early flights in the morning."

They both began to gather their stuff to leave, when the band starting playing 'Living on a Prayer.'

"Oh I love this song," Rory cried as the opening chords began to play.

"Well then," Finn said while placing the coats back on the seat of the booth. "May I have this dance?"

Rory grabbed his hand and pulled him on the dance floor, as close to the band as she could get. The two began jumping and twirling around each other, singing along with the words of the song. They laughed and twirled, enjoying everything about that moment. When the song was over, they grabbed their coats and walked back to the apartment. When they arrived Rory collapsed on the couch, exhausted and tipsy.

"I'm so glad we did this tonight. I defiantly needed a night like tonight," she said.

"Well I'm glad to be of help," Finn said laughing.

"No Finn, seriously. You have no clue how great you have been all week. I mean the studying and the food, and then tonight. You've been such a great friend," Rory said as she reached out and rubbed his arm.

"Well then as a friend, I'm going to say you should get to bed. You have an early flight in the morning and you need to rest," Finn said as he pulled her off the couch. His tug was a little too hard though and Rory was flung right into his chest. The two laughed as their eyes came to meet. Finn looked deep into Rory's eyes and couldn't avoid the feelings he'd been hiding anymore. He slowly lowered his head, allowing Rory time to move away if she had wanted to him to stop. But she didn't move. Finn lips gently connected with hers and stayed there for a few seconds before she responded. Once he felt her lips kissing his, he let everything go and continued to work her lips with his own. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her towards him as his lips tenderly kissed hers. His stomach was sending out a burning feeling to the rest of his body and his heart was racing. This is what he had been craving to feel.

When Rory's eyes had met Finn's, she knew she wanted to feel his lips on hers again. She wanted to feel everything she felt the night of the Halloween party and more. As he lowered his lips towards hers, she felt nervous butterflies in her stomach. She had wanted this to happen again for over a month now. When his lips first touched hers she didn't know if it were real or if she were dreaming, but when the electricity of his touch shot through her entire body she knew that what she was experiencing was real. As she began to kiss him back, she felt his hands on her waist and she allowed him to pull her more into his body. She slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, as she felt his tongue slide along her bottom lip. She willingly opened her mouth, and slowly let her own tongue slide into his mouth, exploring every inch. The tender way his tongue rubbed and massaged against her own made her stomach explode with excitement. Her heart was pounding through her chest and she knew that she never wanted this moment to end.

They continued to kiss and explore until both needed to come up for air. As they moved their heads away from each other they both looked into one another's eyes. Neither knew what to say and the room was silent. Finally Finn decided to be the one to break the silence, knowing that Rory wasn't able to speak.

"Well," he said smiling at her. "We should get some sleep." He then leaned down and gave her a small yet gentle kiss on her cheek. "Good night Rory."

"Good night Finn," she whispered as she let go of his shoulders and watched him walk down the hall and into his room. She slowly began to walk into her own room, happy and confused at the same time. She closed the door and laid on her bed, not even bothering to change into her pajamas. She closed her eyes and hoped that sleep would make what just happened a little clearer when she woke up.

Her alarm clock went off at 7:30. She rolled over and turned it off before she slipped out of bed and walked over to her mirror. She studied her reflection in front of her, looking for any changes that might have occurred since last night. Physically she looked the same, but inside she felt completely different. She'd felt this change occurring slowly over the last few months, but last night was the first time she had allowed herself to feel the it. She couldn't begin to comprehend what any of it meant, but she was hoping that Finn would help her figure it out. Looking at her clock again she decided to go out to the kitchen. Finn would have to leave soon for the airport and she wanted a chance to talk to him, or at least see him, before he left. She walked down the hall and into the living room, but found it completely empty. She was a little surprised, but she figured he hadn't gotten out of the shower and dressed yet. She decided to go into the kitchen and put a pot of coffee on. She filled the glass pot and poured four scoops of coffee into the maker. She was about to add the water when she noticed a folded piece of paper with her name on it. She recpgnozed that is was written in Finn's handwriting and quickly opened it to see what he had written.

**Dear Rory,**

**I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye; I just thought it might be easier. I know you have a lot of questions about last night, but I don't know if I have the answers for you. I really hope that you have a good time in London with Logan. We'll talk when we both get back. Have a Merry Christmas Ror!**

**Love,**

**Finn**

Rory placed the note back on the table and sat on one of the stools. She couldn't understand the sad feeling that washed over her body or the way her eyes watered up while she was reading Finn's note, but the sound of the cab's horn prevented her from being able to analyze either of those reactions.


	9. Love Lives, Love Dies

**Hey guys! I know it's been awhile, but teaching and planning my wedding has been taking up a lot of my time. Don't be afraid though, Finn and Rory are still a major thought in my mind. It took a lot of time to write this chapter, but I'm positive that you all will enjoy the results. Everything is starting to come together now and I really hope you all like the way that I had it happen. **

**I would really like to thank all of you who have written such nice reviews for all the chapters that have been posted. You have no clue how much your kind words motivate me. Everytime I read a new review it just encourages me to continue writing this story. So I apprecciate your continued support. With that said, here is chapter 9. I hope you enjoy it! If you do, please let me know.**

Chapter 9- Love Lives, Love Dies

Finn. She'd been in London for two weeks with Logan and all she thought about was Finn. On the flight over she replayed the kiss they shared before she left over and over in her head. Even hours later, she was still able to feel the electricity that shot through her when their lips touched. She thought of the way his arms wrapped so perfectly around her waist and the ease with which she wrapped her own arms around his neck. It shouldn't have felt so comfortable; so perfect. But it did. That feeling was only intensified when she landed in London. She thought seeing Logan, kissing him, making love to him would make her realize how ridiculous these thoughts of Finn were. Instead Rory felt an absence of heat and something else she couldn't quite identify. The kisses she'd shared with Logan over the past two weeks didn't compare to the two kisses she had shared with Finn. Her head didn't get fuzzy and there were no butterflies in her stomach. She didn't feel the same heat and desire that she felt when she had kissed Finn. This, of course, made her think about the beginning of her relationship with Logan, when everything was new and exciting. Of course there were butterflies and other new feelings then, but they didn't compare to what she was feeling now. She felt guilty. Guilty for kissing Finn and guilty for feeling the way she felt. During the day she acted as if everything was fine, trying desperately to feel what she thought she should feel for Logan. But at night, when Logan was asleep, her thoughts drifted to Finn. She soon found that her thoughts wandered from the kiss they shared to other moments that helped define everything she was feeling now. The dinners he'd cooked for her, the dance they had shared in Stars Hallow, the way he had helped her study for finals, and all those movie nights they'd shared. She found these moments all made her happy and tingly inside. Yet there were moments with Logan that had also had the same affect on her. She knew she loved Logan, but was she in love with him? And if she were in love with him, how could she have feelings for someone else? Did she have feelings for Finn or was it just what people felt when they experienced something new? All these questions plagued her mind and yet she still had no answers. She would be getting on a plane tomorrow to go back home and she had no idea how she felt about that.

She was thinking that exact thought when Logan came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow."

"I know. Time flies over here in London," she joked.

"Well then, we should make the best of the time that we have," he whispered as he kissed her neck.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" she giggled.

"I say we get dressed up, have a nice dinner, and then come back here and spend the night in bed."

"Mr. Huntzburger, are you trying to seduce me?"

"Is it working?" he asked with a grin, knowing that he'd made her an offer that she couldn't refuse.

She turned around and gave him a kiss on his lips. "I'm going to shower."

He shook his head with a smile. "Yeah, a shower sounds really good." He quickly ran after her. When he caught up to her, he turned her around and kissed her. As he continued his assault on Rory's lips, he walked her into the bathroom and closed the door.

Two hours later, Rory and Logan both emerged from the bedroom looking their best and ready to enjoy the evening. Rory wore a black spaghetti strapped dress with black heels while Logan wore a black suite with a maroon shirt. Both enjoyed a lovely candle lit dinner followed by a moonlit walk back to Logan's apartment. As they walked they talked about Rory's school schedule for her last semester at Yale, Logan's job, and some funny stories about their friends. When they returned to Logan's apartment, both relaxed on the couch with a glass of wine and some nice romantic music. Rory had been having such a great time with Logan, she forgot about the thoughts that had been troubling her since she had left the United States. That is, until Logan's phone rang. He gave a quick kiss on her check and apologized before answering his phone.

"Hunztburger," he answered in a real business like tone.

Rory couldn't hear the other person on the phone but she saw Logan smile.

"Finn, man what's up?"

At the mention of Finn's name Rory's face fell. Just hearing his name sent her entire body into flames.

"What's up, man?" Logan asked into the phone and then laughed. "No way, seriously. C'mon up."

There was a short pause before Rory heard the door buzz. Her mind was racing. Finn was here, in London. He was coming upstairs. She was going to have to face him for the first time since their kiss. She suddenly felt very hot. She turned away from Logan as he hung up the phone and walked over to the door. And then she heard it. That voice that made her entire body weak. She turned to face the man that had caused her all this internal turmoil and locked eyes with him. In that one second before anyone spoke, Rory knew that she wasn't imagining her feelings for Finn. She was falling in love with him.

Logan walked over to his friend and slapped him on the back, breaking the eye contact between him and Rory. "What are you doing here man?" Logan asked happily surprised to see Finn at his doorstep.

"There was a delay in my flight. I could either sleep at the airport, and come spend the night here with you, but if I'm interrupting…"

"No man, c'mon in," Logan said closing the door and leading his friend into the living room where Rory was.

As Finn approached the couch where she was sitting, Rory was trying to compose herself. How was she supposed to sit here with the two of them and pretend everything was normal when in reality it was far from that? She knew she had to get herself together. If she acted weird Logan would want to know what was wrong with her. She took a deep breath as Finn sat himself in the armed chair on the other side of the coffee table from where Logan and Rory had been sitting.

"So Rory and I were just having some wine, you want a glass? Or maybe a beer?" Logan asked his friend.

"I think I'm in more need of a whisky. On the rocks," Finn stated.

"I should have known," Logan chuckled. "I'll be right back."

Rory watched as Logan entered the kitchen. The second the swinging door closed she looked at Finn. "Look I know we have a lot to talk about, but not now okay?" she pleaded with him.

"Look Ror, I didn't come here to cause trouble. I thought your flight left this morning. I don't want to cause a fight with you or with Logan. What happened between us before Christmas happened. It's up to you when or if we settle it."

"Finn…" she started in a desperate attempt to make him understand that there was so much she wanted to say to him. Unfortunately it was at this moment that Logan returned to the room, and interrupted her chance at calming the fear that she saw reflecting deep within his eyes.

Logan handed Finn the glass of whisky and then came and sat down next to Rory. "So how was Australia man?" Logan asked his friend.

"It was beautiful. Got to spend some time with my family and there were some great waves. I'm really glad I went," Finn said with a smile.

"And what about the girls?" Logan asked with a suggestive tone. "How many different girls are Colin and I going to have to help you dodge phone calls from?" Logan asked with a smirk.

Rory couldn't help but to feel a tinge of jealousy. She tried to shake it off, it wasn't like her and Finn were dating. He could do whatever he wanted, but it didn't mean she had to hear about it.

"Nah, no girls this time," Finn answered before taking a long gulp of his whisky.

"Are you sure you're my friend Finn and not some fake?" Logan asked with a laugh.

"It's me man. I just, I dunno. My heart just wasn't in it." He directed the comment at Logan, but made sure that his eyes met with Rory's for a moment before they once again focused back on his friend. He couldn't let Rory think that this was a game. She had to know by now there was something else behind all this. The intense look in her eyes when he looked at her made him believe that she felt that something was happening too, but now was definitely not the time to be figuring all that out.

Rory couldn't help but shiver when she saw the look in Finn's eyes. She felt as if he were looking straight into her heart and soul. His eyes told her that he had been thinking about during their time apart and she liked the feeling that thought gave her. But she shouldn't like that thought. Not when she was dating someone else and not when that someone else was sitting right next to her. She needed to get away from Finn; she needed time to think.

"Hey guys," she said to both men, but only looking at Logan. "I'm kind of tired and I have an early flight tomorrow. I'm going call it a night." She quickly gave Logan a brief kiss on the lips and said goodnight to Finn before quickly exiting the room.

"Why don't you go with her," Finn told his friend. "I know she's leaving tomorrow. Go spend some time with her."

"Are you sure man?" Logan asked, hoping that he was.

"Yeah. I've got pillows and a blanket, I think I can manage."

"Thanks man. I appreciate it. I'll see you in the morning Finn."

"Night," Finn called back to his friend before sitting down on the couch and covering his face with his hands. He thought he had seen a glimmer of hope in Rory's eyes tonight bit then he thought about the way she had avoided him and found an excuse to leave. He was so stupid. How could he have kissed her? The whole time he was in Australia he had hoped that things between them would change for the better when they both got back. Now that he saw her though, he knew that he had made a very huge mistake. A mistake that may have cost him his friendship with Rory. He let out a sigh as the thought ran through his head. He'd need to talk to her when they got back to the states. He slowly laid back and covered himself with one of the blankets from the back of the couch. He knew he wouldn't sleep, but he was going to try anyway.

When Logan had gotten into the room he had hoped to find Rory in bed ready for an all night rendezvous. Instead, he found Rory was already asleep. Knowing she had a long day, he quietly changed into his pajama pants and got into bed with her. He gave her a soft kiss on her forehead before whispering good night and snuggling into her.

When Rory was positive that he had fallen asleep, she had opened her own eyes. She knew she should not have deceived Logan, especially on her last night with him, but she couldn't help it. How could she make love to Logan when all she could think about was Finn? When he walked in the door flashes of the kiss entered her mind. Those memories had made her want to grab him and do it again. She knew it was wrong, but that kiss had felt so right. She wanted to tell him that when Logan had gone into the kitchen, but she couldn't get it out. All she wanted to do was to talk to him, to find out if that kiss had shaken him up as much as it had shaken her up. She was falling for Finn. She wanted him in every way possible. The only problem was that the boy laying next to her with his arms around her was not Finn. She cared for Logan deeply and did not want to hurt him, but she couldn't lead him on anymore either. She needed to be fair to herself and to him; she needed to end things and she needed to do it in person. She would have to break up with him before she left London.


	10. Bringing on the Heartache

**Hey guys! So it's 8 days until my wedding, but I couldn't leave for my honeymoon without leaving a little gift for you guys. So here it is, my new chapter. I think you all will enjoy it. Thank you again for all the gret reviews. I love reading the great ideas you send and as always, your encouragement and love for the story keeps me writing. So here it is, chapter 10. As always, please let me know what you think when you're done reading. Remember I write for you guys!**

Chapter 10- Brining on the Heartache

Rory got out of bed the next morning around 5:30. She had barely slept all night. Instead, she lay awake in bed thinking of what she would say to Logan. She didn't want to hurt him, but how could a situation like this be anything except hurtful. Breaking up with someone is bad enough; the fact that his best friend was part of the reason was going to be even worse. What made the situation even more horrible was that Rory did not know how Finn felt. She knew what she felt when she was with him and when she kissed him, she knew what she thought she saw in his eyes the previous night, but she could not know for certain what Finn was feeling. This thought alone made her want to back out of the conversation she would have with Logan before she left this morning. However, deep in her heart, whether Finn likes her or not, she knew she couldn't continue a relationship with Logan when she had even the smallest interest in another man. It wouldn't be fair to either him or her. With this thought in mind, Rory decided to get up, shower, and get some coffee. She would need a few extra cups to calm her down and get her through the morning.

After her shower Rory quietly tiptoed through the living room to the kitchen. She was almost at the kitchen door when she noticed the couch was empty except for some folded up blankets. Finn's bag, which had been left by the door the night before, was gone. Rory walked closer to the couch and noticed a piece of paper on the coffee table with Finn's handwriting scribbled across it. "Can't this boy ever say goodbye," Rory whispered to herself as she picked up the letter and walked into the kitchen. She made herself a cup of coffee before sitting down at the counter and reading Finn's letter which explained that he had an early flight and thanked Logan for letting him crash on his couch. Rory dropped the letter on the counter and stared at it. 'It's better that he left,' she thought to herself. 'It'll make my conversation with Logan easier. I just wish I could have talked with him first.' Rory continued to sip her coffee while staring at Finn's letter, until Logan's entrance into the kitchen stirred her from her thoughts.

"Morning gorgeous," Logan greeted as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "You're up early."

"Well I have to be at the airport soon. I wanted to make sure that I was all packed and ready."

"I don't want you to go," he told her as he walked around the counter and sat across from her.

Rory looked into his eyes. They were staring deeply at her and filled with love. She hated that she was about to destroy that, but she couldn't let this go on any longer. "Logan, you know I have to get back. There's so much going on. I just, I have to go home."

"Ace are you okay?" he questioned with concern.

"I don't know," she answered with as much honesty as she could muster. She looked him straight in the eye. It was time. She had to do it, and it had to be now. "I've been a little off since I got here."

"I know it was hard being away from your mom all this time, especially during the holidays, but I thought I made it special for you?" he questioned.

"You did make the holidays special," she said getting up and running her hands through her hair. "I was so excited to see you. I spent weeks organizing things for school and the paper so I could be with you 100 percent when I got here, but I still haven't been."

"Ror, it's okay. You missed being home for the holidays. Just think next year I'll be home and we'll both get to have a nice, quiet Stars Hallow Christmas," he said as he walked around the table and tried to wrap his arms around her.

She shrugged him off and turned around to face him. "The reason I wasn't myself isn't about my mom and being away from her."

"I don't get it," he said, confused by what she was saying.

"This wasn't supposed to happen. We were happy and perfect," she rambled.

"Ror," he said while grabbing her shoulders. "What's going on?"

"I don't know. I mean I do know, I just can't explain it." She stopped rambling. She briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and looking Logan in the eye. "Logan with you over here, things have changed. I thought that coming here and seeing you would make everything okay, but while I was here I realized that it wasn't working."

"Ace, what's going on? What are talking about?"

"Things have changed between us, Logan. You're here and I'm at Yale and things are just changing. It's happening so fast that I didn't realize half of what was happening till I got here. I just… I think we need to take some space from each other and explore our options."

Logan stared at her for a moment trying to process what she had just said. At first he looked confused, and then upset. He felt like he'd been hit with a sucker punch and couldn't get up. He knew he had to say something, but so many thoughts were running through his head that he didn't know which to voice first. After a minute he finally spoke. "Rory, you can't mean this. I mean what could possibly have happened that would lead to us having to be over?" he asked. As the question left his mouth, the answer entered his brain. The fact that tears were falling from Rory's eyes now confirmed his suspicions. "You've met someone?"

"Not exactly…" she began but he cut her off.

"What does that mean Rory?" he pleaded with her.

"It was innocent, we were just friends. And then… I don't know when or how, but it changed. At least for me. I just… I just need time to figure this out. It may be nothing but a momentary glitch, an effect of you being so far away. I just, I can't lie to you and I don't want to hurt you," she said through teary eyes.

"You wouldn't be having this conversation with me right now if you weren't sure that you had feelings for this guy. Who is it? Someone from class or the newspaper?"

Rory shook her head. She had no clue how to tell him it was Finn with out just stating the facts.

"Is it someone you just met?" When she didn't respond he continued. "C'mon Ror. We promised that we would always be honest with each other. Be honest with me."

She looked up into his pleading face and she felt her heart drop lower into her stomach. She was about to tear his world apart and there was nothing she could do now to stop it. "Logan, it's Finn."

"Finn, as in my best friend Finn? No… this can't be. He'd never do that to me," Logan said with a panicked tone as he began to pace back and forth in front of her.

"Logan this wasn't planned. I don't even know how it happened," she tried to desperately explain.

"God, I asked him to stay with you so you wouldn't be alone." Logan continued to pace. He was trying to process what Rory was telling him, but he was having difficulty doing so with the way his head was spinning. "Ohmigod, did you sleep with him?" he shouted.

"No, I would never do that to you," she yelled.

He laughed. "I don't know what you'd do any more."

"Logan, I could never be with someone else while we were together. I couldn't hurt you like that. I know how it feels."

"Don't you dare turn this around on me," he yelled. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he tried to control himself. He didn't want to yell at her, he didn't even want to fight with her. He just wanted to wake up from this horrible nightmare and start the morning over. He opened his eyes and looked at her tear stained face. He saw the sorrow and pain in her eyes. He wanted to hug her and hurt her all at the same time, but all he could do was let her continue. "So what did happen?" he asked a little more calmly.

"We kissed. I don't even know how it happened, but it did. And I felt something. I wasn't supposed to. I'm with you. I love you."

"Stop!" His head was reeling, and the last thing he wanted to hear her say was that she cared about him. He was having trouble comprehending all of this. How does a person go from being in love with one man and then falling for his best friend the next? "Do you love him?" Logan asked.

"No…but I do feel something and it's not fair for me to be with you until I figure out what all this means. I never wanted to hurt you Logan. You have to believe that."

"Stop saying that! What you want and what you get are two different things." He turned around and looked at the couch with the blankets and pillows all piled up. He suddenly remembered that Finn had slept there the night before. A new anger arose in him. "So when did he kiss you? Last night? This morning before he left?"

Rory looked at him with a surprised expression on her face. She didn't know what to say. Should she tell him about both of their kisses or just one? In all her planning and practicing, she had never thought this question would be asked. "At the Halloween party."

Logan's eyes suddenly burst into flames. He slowly began to walk toward her. "I was there that day. I had to leave for work. I felt bad about leaving you. I beat myself up the whole way back here and you were making out with my best friend?" He was yelling now and he didn't care. Not only did she kiss his best friend, but she hid it from him too.

"That's not how it happened. I was upset. I wasn't even going to go to that stupid party, but Finn and Colin made me. Finn and I were dancing and he walked away from me. I thought something was wrong so I followed him and that's when we kissed."

"So what, you've been walking around for two months with these feelings hanging over your head? Not bothering to tell me?" All his anger and pain was evident not only on his face, but in the tone of his voice as well.

"No. Finn and I talked and we both decided it was mistake and that it meant nothing. We said it would never happen again."

"So you lied to Finn too? Should that make me feel better?" Logan asked sarcastically.

"I don't know. I went on for the next two months like everything was normal, we were just friends, but deep down I think I knew I was wrong." Rory stopped to look at Logan. His heart was shattering into even smaller pieces right before her eyes and there was nothing she could do to stop it. "The night before I left to come here, Finn helped me pack. Afterwards we went to the pub and had a drink with Rosemary and Juliet. When we got home, Finn and I kissed again."

Logan turned away from her. His balled his hands up into tights fists and slammed one into the counter. He was having trouble containing his anger and pain, but he didn't want Rory to see that. He was so confused. Over the past two years Rory had been the one constant in his life. He had always known that he could rely on her and trust her, but now…suddenly she had taken that all away. He was having trouble comprehending that she could even do this. He didn't know what to say her, or if he even wanted to say anything. He didn't want to loose her, but was there anything he could do? Did he even want to try? There were so many thoughts running through his brain that he needed some quiet time to think. He turned and faced Rory. "So is this it? Is it over?"

Rory took in a big breathe before answering, "It wouldn't be fair to you if I stayed with you when I'm so unsure about my own feelings. I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have. I need time, Logan. I need to figure out what is going on in my head and my heart, and I can't do that if we're still together."

"So that's it. Two years and it's over just like that?"

"I'm so sorry, Logan. This wasn't supposed to happen, but I can't seem to stop it. I tried," she told him with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I think you should head to the airport. My driver is waiting outside," he said as he opened the door for her.

She looked at him for a moment. She had never thought she would ever see Logan Huntzburger look defeated, but here he was torn apart at the seems and all because of her. She knew she couldn't do anything but walk out the door, so she picked up her suitcase and headed towards the door. When she was standing in front of him, she looked him and the eye. "Goodbye Logan," she whispered before walking out the door and down to the elevator.

He watched her get onto the elevator and waited till the doors shut. That's when Logan let his right fist collide with the wall.


	11. I Just Gotta Know If You Really Care

Chapter 11- I Just Gotta Know If You're Really There, If You Really Care

Rory had tried to call her mom on the way to the airport. After unsuccessfully reaching her at the house, she called the inn. The phone rang three times before Michele picked up.

"Hey Michele, it's Rory. Is mom there?"

"You're cruel mother has left me here to run the inn and deal with obnoxious guests while she has run off with the grumpy flannel man," Michele responded in his usual bored tone.

"Did she say when she was going to be back?" Rory asked with disappointment in her voice.

"Do I look like her secretary?"

"Thanks anyway," she said before she hung up the phone.

'Great,' she thought to herself. 'When did mom decide to go away? She didn't say anything to me.' Rory let out a puff of air and sunk into her seat in the back of the car. As soon as she left Logan's all she could think about was going home to Stars Hallow and hiding out with her mother for awhile. Now unfortunately that option was not open to her. She knew she couldn't avoid going home and seeing Finn forever, but she was hoping a few days of wallowing and pro/con lists would help her prepare what she would say to him. 'Looks like the plane ride back to Connecticut is all I'm going to get,' Rory thought to herself as the car stopped outside of the airport. She quickly got out of the car and unloaded her bags. After thanking the driver, she made her way inside and to the gate for her departure from London. As she made her way through check-in and security, she thought about Logan and the look on his face when she told him about Finn. She had not only betrayed him, but had hurt him more then she ever thought possible. She had never thought that she could be the kind of person who would do that to another person, especially one that she loved, but she did hurt him. She was so sorry for that.

As she walked onto the plane and got herself comfortable in her seat, her thoughts drifted from Logan to Finn. Their relationship had changed so much in the past four months. They had gone from friends who went and hung out at parties or the pub to two people who could trust and confide in each other. She had shared so much of herself with him, and she knew that she had been let into a part of Finn's life that not many people had seen. The feelings that she had developed for him were deeper than the butterflies and spinning head that occurred when they kissed, it was a complete admiration for the man who shared his love of chick flicks and cooking with her. The man who stayed up and studied with her for her finals. It was these simple gestures that made her fall for him. But did her really fall for her? She had thought so, but now that she was on her way home to see him she wasn't so sure. Did she go home and tell him how she felt or wait to see if he came to her? She was at a loss and didn't know what to do. Getting frustrated with her thoughts, she laid her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. She had a long flight; she might as well enjoy the quiet while she could.

Rory awoke right before her plane began its decent to land. When the plane touched the ground and the seat belt light went off, she quickly grabbed her carry on bag, exited the plane, and made her way to the baggage claim to pick up her suitcases. After collecting all her bags, Rory hailed a cab and made her way back to the apartment. The closer the cab got to home, the more nervous she became. It felt as if her heart were beating faster and faster with every mile they drove. When the cab finally pulled to a stop in front of her building, Rory took a deep breath and exited the cab. She tried to take her time collecting her bags out of the trunk of the car, but the driver had come out to help and all her things were on the curb before she had a chance to blink her eyes. She thanked the driver, picked up her bags and made her way into the building.

Her heartbeat became more erratic as she stepped onto the elevator and made her way up to their floor. 'You can do this,' she thought to herself as the doors opened revealing her front door. She walked toward it while taking the keys out of her bag. Her hands shook as she put the keys into the lock and opened the door. She cautiously walked inside and was greeted by silence surrounding the apartment. She came in and looked around, surprised to find that Finn was nowhere in sight. "Finn," she called, waiting for him to answer. When there was no reply she walked to his bedroom. The door was open, his suite cases lying in the middle of the room, but Finn was not in there. A sense of relief and disappointment filled her. She was happy to have some time to prepare herself for seeing him, but she was surprisingly upset to find that he wasn't at home waiting for her. Deciding that the extra time should be thought of as a blessing since she still did not know what she was going to say to him, she took her things into her room and closed the door.

After putting her luggage down and placing her coat on a nearby chair, she looked around the bedroom. She was immediately reminded of Logan and all that had happened between them. This had once been their bedroom. Pictures of the two of them and small mementos were still lining the shelves. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to think straight until all those reminders were gone, she took out a box and carefully packed them all away. When she was finished, she placed the box that she had labeled Logan on the top shelf of her closet. Knowing she needed to relax and think about what she was going to do next, she decided to take a long hot shower. She always did her best thinking in the shower and she was hoping that this time would be no different, but when she emerged from the bathroom 30 minutes later she was still unsure of what she would say to Finn when she finally came face to face with him.

The evening soon became night and Rory was becoming more frustrated. It was starting to affect her brain. It was after ten and Finn had still not come home. She began to wonder if Finn had already found out about her and Logan. The possibility made her stomach lurch. If Finn had spoke to Logan, there was a huge probability that Logan had already told Finn how she felt. Suddenly Rory's eyes began to water. 'Oh god,' she thought. 'What if he hadn't felt all the things that she had?' There was the possibility that he wasn't home because he didn't feel the same way about her. Could she have mistaken everything she thought she felt when she was with him? The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. Soon tears were threatening to roll down her cheeks. She had spent so much time on her flight thinking of what she might say to Finn when she saw him, but she had never stopped to think what would happen if he didn't feel the same way. At that moment an image of Logan's sad face flashed into her head. 'Had she truly broken his heart to have her own broken in return?' This was so frustrating, she was driving herself crazy. She shook her head to try to release all the thoughts that were invading her brain. Wrapping her covers tighter around her and lifting them over her head, she rolled over to her other side and desperately tried to fall asleep.

It was almost twelve thirty in the morning when Finn unlocked the door to his and Rory's apartment. After receiving all eleven of Logan's life threatening messages when he returned home from the airport, he knew that there was some pretty serious drama heading his way. He had flown to London to speak to Logan himself, to try and do the respectful thing by being honest and ensuring his friend that he was going to walk away. He did not realize that Rory would still have been in town. Being in the same room with the two of them had been torturous for him, and that was why he had to leave without ever accomplishing what he had come to do. However, he never imagined that Rory would have done it for him. Although Logan's angry messages did not provide him with a lot of details, he knew Rory had told him about the kiss and he knew that Rory had ended things with Logan. He had wanted to stay home and wait for Rory so the two of them could talk, but he also knew Rory and that she would need time to think and plan before she could be face to face with him. So he left the apartment and spent the day walking around and thinking, as well. He knew that the time to come clean with Rory about his feelings was fast approaching, and he needed to make sure that he had the right words to express how deeply he was falling for her. So after hours of walking around and deciding what to say, here he was at the front door of the apartment with his stomach in knots.

"It's now or never man," he said to himself as he pushed the door open and let himself in. He looked around the living room and noticed the apartment was completely dark except for the lamp on the table closest to the hallway, which was left on. He walked past it on the way to his room. He was approaching his own bedroom, figuring Rory had already gone to bed, when he noticed a small light sneaking through the bottom of her door. He stared at the closed door for a short moment before he felt his feet pulling him towards her room. Before he knew it he was standing in front of her bedroom door with his fist raised.

Rory was lying in her bed with her eyes closed when she heard a knock on the bedroom door. Her eyes shot open as a million tiny butterflies invaded her stomach. She slowly rolled over as she heard the door opening. When she had fully turned around, her eyes locked with Finn's.

The gaze between the two was intense and neither said anything for a few moments. Finn decided that he should be the first to speak. "Can I come in?" he asked.

Rory nodded her head and Finn closed the door before walking over and sitting down on her bed so he was facing her. He looked down and played with his fingers for a few seconds before taking a deep breathe and rising his head so he could look at her. He noticed her hair was in a messy bun and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Not remembering any of the things he had thought of to say to her, he decided to let his instincts guide him. "Are you okay?" he quietly asked.

Her sad eyes looked up at him and she gave him a small smile before nodding her head.

"I heard about you and Logan. I'm sorry."

"Are you?" she asked.

Taking a deep breath he knew that this was his opportunity to find out how Rory feels about him. "Rory what happened?" he asked.

"We broke up," she explained as she lowered her head to cut off all eye contact.

"Why Rory?" he asked with a bit of insistency in his voice.

After a long moment of silence she raised her head slightly. Still not looking him in the eye she replied, "it wasn't working out."

"Really?" he questioned with a hint of disbelief. Was she really going to avoid everything that was going on, even when it was staring her straight in the face?

"Things were just changing. I went to London and it was just…" she paused for a moment trying to think of a word to explain how immense the situation was. Not being able to find an appropriate word she finished, "different. I had been looking so forward to going to London and spending time with Logan for so long, and then when I got there I couldn't stop thinking about home."

It was quiet between the two for a moment. When she realized that he wasn't going to say anything she decided to continue. "Logan tried so hard to make everything perfect while I was there. It should have been an amazing Christmas". Rory stopped speaking, knowing that she couldn't continue this discussion without saying everything she'd wanted to say to him since the night of their kiss. Taking a deep breath she decided that this was it, she had to tell Finn that she had feelings for him and she had to find out if he felt the same way. "But the entire time I was in London I felt like something was missing. Logan kept doing all these romantic things, and they were so sweet, but it just didn't feel right. When he kissed me, it wasn't right. There were no butterflies in my stomach…my heart wasn't beating rapidly. And the more he kissed me the more I realized it wasn't the feelings that were missing, it was the person who was kissing me that was all wrong." She stopped for a second and rested her hand on top of Finn's. She waited till his eyes tentatively met hers before continuing. "There I was kissing Logan, and all I could think about was you. The kiss we shared on Halloween meant more to me than I let on. I tried to ignore it, hoping it would go away, but when you kissed me the night before I left I knew I couldn't deny it anymore. I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but somewhere over the last few months I started falling for you and…"

Rory stopped speaking when she felt Finn's grip on her hand tighten. She slowly raised her head so her eyes fully connected with his. His dark eyes were so intense. She could see a million emotions running through them, but when he smiled at her she was able to see all the sentiments that she was trying to express in his eyes.

"I love you," he quietly whispered as his lips slowly started to descend down to hers. He watched as Rory's eyes fluttered close before he closed his own. He felt the anticipation grow as his lips journeyed the last few centimeters toward her mouth, and then warmth exploded all over his body as her soft, strawberry scented lips slowly brushed against his in a gentle kiss. He moved his hands to rest on her cheeks as he felt her arms wrap around his waist and tighten in a sweet embrace. More innocent than their last two kisses, this one was definitely the best because all the words that were left unsaid between the two were conveyed in this earth shattering gesture.

Finn slowed the kiss down and rested his forehead against hers, brushing her fallen hair out of her face with his hands. "God, I've dreamed of this for so long. I can't believe this is happening," he chuckled.

She smiled back at him and rubbed her nose against his. "I've thought about this moment too." She closed her eyes for a moment before pulling her head away and lacing her fingers with his. "I want to enjoy this moment. I don't want to ruin it with words or thoughts of the outside world. For tonight, just one night I want it to be just Finn and Rory."

Rory then lifted her covers and pulled Finn to lay down next her. He quickly removed his shoes and turned the lamp by her bed off before he joined her under the covers. He then wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head before the two contentedly drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


	12. Moving On, Moving Out

Chapter 12- Moving On, Moving Out

Rory slowly began to stir in her bed. The light from the window hitting her face made it difficult for her to open her eyes. She slowly turned over before letting her eyes flutter open. She smiled when she saw Finn's head lying on the pillow next to her. His eyes still closed; he looked so content and peaceful, she couldn't help but stare at him and smile. She couldn't believe how much their relationship had changed in just a few short months, but knowing where they were headed made her giddy. She slowly lifted her hand from under her pillow and lightly brushed her finger across Finn's cheek.

"You do know it's considered rude to stare right?" Finn mumbled with a small smirk spread on his lips. As his eyelids slowly opened and he locked eyes with her, his smirk turned into a genuine smile.

Rory giggled as she propped her head up on her left elbow. "Well forgive me sir," she teased in her most proper society voice.

"I think we can work something out," he whispered conspiratorially with a wink. He looked down at her other hand lying lazily on her hip and reached out to wrap his fingers around her own.

Rory stared at their hands wrapped up together for a moment before bringing her eyes back up to meet Finn's. "I like this, just lying here with you and knowing it's okay to be together, but I really think that we need to talk about this." She let go of his hand and sat fully up on the bed. She turned to face him and crossed her legs Indian style before continuing. "Last night we both said things and admitted feelings to each other that we've both kept locked up for a long time. And I am so glad that we were finally able to express them to each other, but I think that we still need to take things slow. I feel that we both are going to need to adjust to the changes that are happening between us, and if we rush into things I'm afraid it could jeopardize this great thing that's happening between us." She watched his face carefully after finishing her speech not knowing what his reaction would be.

Finn sat up straight and cupped Rory's face with his hands. "Ror, what's happening between us is something special. I also know that you made a huge choice in your life so we could explore and deepen what we both feel. I waited this long to be with you, I'm going to make damn sure we do it right. If that means taking things slow, well…then consider me a turtle."

Rory laughed as she rested her forehead against his. "This going to be good, isn't it?" she questioned with a small smile on her lips.

"This is going to be amazing," he confirmed before placing a slow, sweet kiss across her lips. Before things could get too heated, he ended the kiss. Backing his head away from hers, he took a deep breath and looked at her with a hesitant look on his face.

"Well that's not a good look," she stated as she watched him sit further up on the bed. "What's wrong?"

"Well love, it seems that we've forgotten one small thing in all of this." Upon receiving her questioning gaze he continued. "We're living in an apartment owned and paid for by Logan."

"Ugh," she moaned.

"I know. It's a thought that crossed my mind not long after you drifted off to sleep last night. Plus, Colin sent me a text message warning me that Logan was going to serve us with an eviction notice."

"Well, I can't say I blame him. But what are we going to do?" she asked him with a bit of worry in her voice.

"I was thinking about that for a long time last night and I've come to one conclusion. Wherever we go, we're going together."

"Wouldn't that be a little weird now?" she asked.

"Were you planning on moving out of here when you got back from London?"

"Honestly, I hadn't thought about it," she admitted with embarrassment.

"Exactly! We have been living together for four months now. And I know that most couples don't live together when they first start dating, but why mess with something that has already worked so well. It's the last semester of our senior year, why should either of us search for new roommates now? We'll keep things the way they are now, just in a new setting."

"Exactly the way they are now?" She questioned with a smirk. "With you and me in separate bedrooms?"

"If that will make you agree to this, then yes you and me in separate bedrooms. Besides, living arrangements can always be changed at a later date," he implied while wiggling his eyebrows.

"What happened to my turtle?" she laughed.

"Turtles are allowed to have fantasies aren't they? He asked while moving in to place a kiss on her neck.

Pushing him back to the bed she teases, "let's go turtle, we have to find a new home."

"I don't think we need to look too far," he said grabbing her hand before she could get off the bed.

"What do you mean?"

"Mine and Colin's old apartment. I'm still paying rent on it," he informed her. "When Logan asked me to move in here with you, I wasn't sure how long I'd be staying. Huntzburger was trying harder than I've ever seen him try to get back here as quickly as possible. Not knowing if I was going to be kicked out before the year was up, I kept paying the rent just in case. "

"So you're saying.."

"We can move into the apartment as soon as we're all packed here."

Rory looked him deeply in the eyes searching for any signs of hesitance, but found none. "I guess I should start packing then," she stated with smile.

"That is a wonderful idea." He softly placed his hands on either side of her face and gave her a kiss on her forehead, lingering for a moment to catch the smell of her hair. He then climbed off of the bed and began walking towards the door.

"And where are you going?" she questioned curiously.

"I've been living with you long enough to know that a job like this could never be started until you've had a cup of coffee," he replied with a smirk.

She gave a small laugh. "I think I'm going to like dating you."

"Love, you have no idea," he said with a wink before walking out the door, leaving her to reflect upon the happiness she was feeling.

She slowly got out of bed and looked around the room. As her eyes scanned the items, she was relieved to see that most of the furniture and other items around belonged to Logan. It would make packing a lot easier. She walked over to her closet and took out the two suitcases that she hadn't taken to London with her and opened them on the bed.

Finn walked back into the room with two cups of coffee in his hand. "Look at you, getting started already."

"The sooner the better right?" she questioned.

Finn put his coffee mug down on the night table and took her hands in his. "Are you ok?" he questioned looking deep into her eyes.

"I'm just trying to get through this as best as I can. I don't regret ending things with Logan. I just need to get past this part," she told him hoping he would understand.

"It's ok to be sad, Love," he whispered as he squeezed her hands with his own. "I'm going to go into my room and get my stuff together. It'll give you time to think and do what you need. I'll be ready whenever you are."

"Thanks, Finn," she smiled as he released her hand and left the room.

The rest of the morning and much of the afternoon flew by as both Rory and Finn went through the house and packed all of their belongings. Suitcases and boxes were packed, as each took turns double and triple checking every room to make sure nothing was left behind.

"So this is it," Finn stated as they were standing by the door with the last of the boxes.

"I guess so," she quietly responded as she looked around the living room one last time.

With a final glance back, she picked up a box and walked out of the apartment with Finn closing the door behind them.


	13. Let the Moment Take Your Heart Away

Hey guys, I'm back! Here is my latest installment to the story. I have to say, this may be the most fun chapter I've written so far. Things really start to heat up in this chapter as Rory and Finn can now start to develop their own relationship. I started this chapter having no clue where I wanted it to go and ended up with a sense of satisfaction I never anticipated. Let's just say, expect a rating bump up to come very soon. I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. And if you did, tell me because I feed off all your critiques and criticisms. I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for you guys! So, without any further interruptions, I present chapter 13.

Chapter 13~ Let the Moment Take Your Heart Away

Rory plopped down on the couch next to Finn with a sigh. "I think I'm done," she said to Finn as she laid her head down on his lap. It had taken them two days to unpack and set up all of their belongings around the house, but it seemed as if they were finally finished.

"Are you sure? Or would you like to trade bedrooms again?" Finn asked a little sarcastically.

"Nah, I like Colin's old room. Besides, I don't even want to think about how many girls slept, or rather didn't sleep on that mattress in your room."

"Note to self, get a new mattress," Finn stated with a smile.

Rory giggled as she rolled over on Finn's lap so her back was facing up. Without even thinking about it Finn started rubbing her shoulders and the upper parts of her back.

"Mmmmm," Rory cooed. "That feels so good."

"Glad I can be of service. Anywhere in particular that needs some attention?" he asked.

"Everywhere," She groaned. "I haven't done that much manual labor since I moved into the dorms freshman year."

Finn laughed as he asked, "how exactly did you get your stuff back and forth all the other times you've moved?"

"I used the Gilmore charm to get other people to do it for me," she laughed.

"Ah, yes. The puppy dog eyes and the pout."

"A girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do".

"Lorelai must be so proud of you," he teased.

Rory rolled back over and laughed. "Hey, my womanly charms worked with you," she teased back.

Finn stared at her for a minute before leaning down and whispering, "you didn't need to use an tricks, you captivate me all on your own."

Rory slowly picked up her head until she was face to face with Finn. With a small smile, she closed the gap between them and pressed her lips to his. His warm lips responded to hers as she placed slow, sweet kisses on them. Both took opportunities to suck and nibble on the other's bottom lip before pulling away to catch their breath.

Rubbing his forehead against hers, Finn sighed. He had never felt so alive in his entire life. The past few days still seemed so unreal, yet he knew they were every time Rory made his heart race with one of her kisses. Cupping her face with his hands he whispered," I still can't believe this is real."

"Me neither," she said with a smile, and then quickly brushed her lips against his again.

Just then a thought popped into Finn's head. He moved his hand away from her face and picked up the hand that was resting on his knee. "There's just one thing left to do," he said with a smile.

"What?" she asked with a questioning look.

"I want to take you on a date. An official date; not just hanging out at the pub or watching a movie on the couch. So, Rory Gilmore would you like to go out with me tomorrow night?"

"Let me think about it for a minute," she said as seriously as she could before breaking into a huge smile. "Finn, I would love to go out on a date with you," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Good, be ready at 7:00," he told her as he backed away and started to get off the couch.

"Where are you going?"

"Come with me. I just thought of something that might make your back feel better."

Curious at what he was talking about, Rory followed Finn to sliding glass doors of the balcony. As Finn slid the door open to allow her to go outside, she noticed something in the corner. With the flip of a light switch, a hot tub was illuminated under the January night sky.

"Why am I not surprised that you and Colin had a hot tub," she laughed as she looked back at him.

"It's strictly for therapeutic purposes," he explained. "Which is why you are going to go to your room and put your bathing suit on while I go and get us some wine."

"I am, am I?"

"Well if you'd rather go in without a suit I'm all for it, but this taking things slow deal we have going will go completely out the window. I don't have that much self-control."

She smiled as she slowly walked up to him. "I'll be right back," she whispered before placing a quick kiss on his lips and turning around to walk to her room. As she made her way through the sliding glass doors, she turned her head over her shoulder to look at Finn. "With a bathing suit," she smirked before disappearing down the hall.

Finn quickly followed down the hall to put on his own bathing trunks before returning to the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine and some glasses. He popped the cork and poured some wine into both the glasses before placing the rest of the bottle in the ice bucket. He then placed everything on a tray and carried it out to the hot tub. He had just finished turning on the white patio lights, when he heard the glass door slide open. He turned around and saw Rory walking towards him in a pink fuzzy bathrobe.

"Well, love, although you do look comfortable, you're going to have to take the robe off before you get in," he smirked.

"But Finn," Rory whined. "It's freezing out here!"

"Yes, but it's so nice in there. So if you'd please hurry, I'd like to get in before we both catch pneumonia," Finn reasoned. However, his argument was soon erased from his mind at the sight of Rory taking off her robe and revealing the black string bikini that was underneath.

As soon as she took the robe off, Rory went running past Finn to get into the tub. She loudly sighed while settling in, then noticing Finn had not followed, sent a questioning glance his way. "Are you planning on joining me?"

"Remember what I said before about bathing suits being optional and having no self-control?" He paused briefly, but did not wait for her to answer. "Well that little bikini your wearing has just proved that either way there's no controlling me tonight."

Rory's face turned bright red as she reached out for Finn's hand. When he was finally close enough, she grabbed it and pulled him to the steps, begging him to join her. Seconds later, his body was fully submerged and gravitating towards hers.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to seduce me," he said in a husky taunt as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her right up against his chest.

"Oh hunny, trust me…when the time comes, you'll know it," she smiled and whispered back.

"I look forward to that," Finn said with a smirk before placing feather light kisses on her neck, jaw, and cheek, before finally making his way to her lips.

"Me too, " Rory murmured before teasingly sliding her tongue along Finn's lips, and ending any innocence that was left to the kiss.

Finn's mouth immediately opened, allowing his tongue to meet with hers in a battle that left both of them wanting more. Both mouths dueled for dominance, while their hands roamed and explore each other's body. Rory sighed as she felt Finn's fingers softly caress up her back and across her shoulders, before retracing their steps. Finn couldn't help but let out a small moan of his own as Rory allowed her nails to gently glide down Finn's chest and lower torso. As the touches became more intense, so did the kiss. It wasn't long before both broke away, desperately needing to catch their breaths.

"Finn," Rory breathed. "I don't want to stop, but I don't want to move too fast either."

Still softly caressing her back under the water, Finn nuzzled his face against her neck. "Ror, no matter how badly I want you right now, and trust me that's pretty bad, I'm not going to do anything unless you tell me too."

Rory smiled and lifted his head so their eyes could meet. "Who would have though you were such a gentleman," she teased.

A small laugh escaped his lips before he lowered his lips for a gentle peck. "What can I say? There's just something about you that brings out the best in me." Giving her another brief peck, he backed away just enough to grab the two glasses of wine and handed Rory one. He then settled himself on one of the benches so Rory could lie back against him. "Is this comfortable?"

"It's perfect."

The two sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying the heat of the tub and the closeness of the other's body. Rory laid her head upon Finn's chest with her eyes closed, as she allowed her self to get lost in the soft caress of his fingertips. The feather-light touches that were being rubbed up and down her arm were leaving goose bumps in their path and lighting her inside on fire. It amazed her that just the simplest of touches from him could cause her to loose total control. With out realizing it, Rory's hand dipped under the water and landed on Finn's leg. She absentmindedly began to rub the backs of her fingers up and down the exposed lower half of his thigh, an action that slowly drove Finn insane.

"Love," he whispered in her ear. "Do have any clue how good that feels?" he asked before giving a soft nibble on the outer shell of her ear.

"Oh, I think I do," she admitted as she turned around to face him and began her own trail of opened mouth kisses against his neck.

Finn's eyes closed as he leaned back against the tub's wall and enjoyed the attention Rory was providing. Grabbing her waist, he pulled her closer so she was now straddling his body on the bench. Rory worked her lips up his neck and across his jaw, until she finally reached his lips. Once again, as soon as their lips touched both Rory and Finn lost total control. Their lips and tongues began their feud for dominance, neither one caring who won as long as the battle continued. As the kiss continued to grow with intensity, Rory found herself pushing her body harder against Finn and being reward every time his arms tightened around her to hold her in place. Again the need for air became a necessity and they broke apart, allowing Finn to reciprocate Rory's earlier ministrations by trailing kisses down her neck and finding a spot just near her ear that made a small moan escape her lips.

"Finn," Rory breathed causing him to stop and look up at her with a smile.

Admiring the flushed skin on her face and neck, along with the look of absolute desire in her eyes, Finn wrapped his arms around her and rested his forehead against hers. "You are absolutely beautiful, you know that?"

Blushing at his comment, she smiled. "Where did that come from?"

"If you could only see what I do right now you wouldn't be asking that," he explained before leaning in for a gentle kiss. He allowed his lips to mold against hers in a series of short and tender kisses. "I love you," he said as he slightly back away and looked into her irresistible blue eyes.

"I love you too," she confessed with a smile.

He smiled back at her and once again time seemed to stop as he looked at this woman who had completely captured his heart. The moment, however, was slightly interrupted as a small yawn escaped Rory's mouth.

Her cheeks blazed and she gave an embarrassed giggle. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he chuckled. "It's been a fun and exciting night," he teased. "Besides, I need you well rested for tomorrow night."

"Our official first date."

He smiled and took her hand, guiding her out of the hot tub and into a nice warm towel. After closing the tub and collecting their empty wine glasses, Finn turned off the patio lights and led Rory back into the warm apartment.

"Thanks for tonight, Finn. That was exactly what I needed to help me relax after the past few days."

"I'm glad it worked," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "It's the least I could do to show my appreciation."

"Appreciation for what?" she questioned as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Where do I start? For choosing me and ending things with Logan…not to mention packing up all your stuff and moving in here with me. You have no clue how happy you've made me these past few days. I still feel like any second I'm going to wake up and realize it's all a dream."

"It's not a dream, Finn," Rory said rubbing her hands down his shoulders. "I love you and I want to be with you."

"Well that's good," he said with a smile. "Cause I love you and want to be with you too." Finn leaned down and gave Rory a few sweet kisses on her lips before slightly pulling his head back. "Before we get carried away again," he said with a small laugh. "I'm going to say goodnight and sweet dreams, and allow you to go to bed before I change my mind."

Rory laughed at Finn and then softly pecked his cheeks. "Goodnight, Finn"

"Night, Love."

Finn watched as Rory walked down the hall to her room. She turned and gave him a sweet smile, before entering her room and closing the door. Finn turned and went into the kitchen to put the wine glasses in the sink before venturing to his own room. When he walked in, he noticed his phone was lit up saying he had a text message. He opened it up to see a message from Rory.

_Tonight was fun. Can't wait for tomorrow. Sweet dreams._

He smiled and hit the button to reply.

_Thanks to you and that incredibly sexy black bikini, I'll be having the best dreams any guy could have._

He hit the send button and waited for a reply. As he changed from his bathing trunks to his boxer briefs he pictured Rory's face and the blush that was probably on her face upon reading his message. After a few minutes of no response, Finn figured she was too embarrassed to write anything back. He got into bed and was about to turn of his light when his phone vibrated on his night table. He picked it up and opened the phone only to see a picture of Rory's black bikini on the floor of her bedroom.

With a load groan and instant reaction in his nether region he hit the reply button and typed _Self-control…gone_ then hit the send button.

Two seconds later his phone buzzed again with her response, _Just think of me while you're taking care of that problem. Nite ; )_

With another groan, Finn shut his phone. This was going to be a long night.


	14. Like a Fire Needs Flame, I Burn for You

Chapter 14~ Like a Fire Needs Flame, I Burn for You

"Ugh," Rory moaned from underneath her covers as she was awoken from a very peaceful sleep by the sound of her phone ringing. She pulled the covers up a little higher trying to ignore the sound, but the ringing persisted on. Reaching over to her nightstand, she picked up her cell phone and opened it before putting it to her ear. "Mean," she sleepily mumbled into the phone.

"Daughter of mine! As long as the next words out of your mouth are '_I missed you mommy_' I will be able to forgive the fact that you didn't sound excited when you answered the phone."

"You woke me up," Rory accused.

"I haven't seen you since before Christmas and you're mad that I woke you up?" Lorelai asked with sarcastic bewilderment. "My heart is breaking," she wailed with a southern twang.

"Ok, I'm up," Rory sighed. "Do over?"

"Well, I don't know," Lorelai said in mock doubt before laughing.

"Mom! Hi! I missed you so much!" Rory declared with as much enthusiasm as she could.

"I missed you too babe! This whole not being together for the holidays thing didn't really work for me."

"Really?" Rory questioned. "So you had an awful time on this trip that Luke whisked you away on? A trip, I might remind you, that I knew nothing about."

"First of all, young one, you left me first. Can I help it if my dashingly handsome boyfriend decided to cheer up his poor, depressed girlfriend, who was abandoned by her daughter on Christmas, by taking her away to a cabin in the woods?"

"Ooooh, a cabin! With a fireplace and a deer head on the wall?"

"And a bear skin rug on the floor," Lorelai bragged. "And let me tell you, those things are soft as hell…"

"Dirty!" Rory teased before the comment really hit her. "And please stop right there, I don't need any more details."

"But I was about to tell you about the snow," Lorelai whined.

"There was snow?"

"Tons of it. It flurried almost every day we were there."

"Did you make Luke take a walk?"

"Of course, and he helped me build a snowman," she said proudly.

"Oooh, I'm jealous."

"Jealous? Are you kidding? You were in London with Mr. Wonderful, which by the way you have told me nothing about. Spill kid, how was it?"

"London was beautiful and Logan and I had a good Christmas," Rory explained.

"Then why don't you sound happy?" her mother questioned.

"It's not that, it's…" Rory trailed off. Taking a deep breath she cleared her throat before deciding to bite the bullet and tell her mother. "Mom, Logan and I broke up before I left London."

"What? Ohmygod! Rory, what happened? And why didn't you call me right away?" Lorelai shot out without giving Rory a chance to respond.

"I did try calling you and Michel told me that you and Luke were away."

"Oh hun, I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you. Are you okay? What happened? I thought things were good with you and Logan?"

"The story is so long I don't even know where to start," Rory explained. "You may want to sit down." She paused for a minute before continuing. "Okay, so I may have been keeping a few secrets from you over the past few months. Not because I couldn't tell you or because I thought you'd be mad, but because I really wasn't sure myself what was going on."

"Ror," Lorelai soothed. "You can always talk to me, I don't always have the answers but I could have helped you figure them out."

"Not this mom," Rory tried to explain. "This I needed to do on my own. It wasn't until I was in London with Logan that I got my answers."

"Hun, your confusing dear old mommy here. Answers to what?"

"Logan and I didn't break up because of distance or because of a fight, although we did have an argument, but he's not to blame. I broke up with him."

"You did? But why? I thought you loved him?" Lorelai questioned with shock.

"I thought I did too, but so much changed after he left. I started to form relationships with people, outside of him. Without even realizing it I fell out of love with Logan and in love with someone else."

"Ohmygod, I didn't even know there was someone else." Lorelai stated confused. "Who did you…" Lorelai gasped and Rory knew that everything was starting to click in her mother's mind. "I was right wasn't I, all those months ago? I asked if there was something going on with you and Finn and you said no. Rory, are you in love with the hot Australian?" Lorelai asked excitedly.

Rory couldn't help but let a small laugh escape. She knew her mom would be happy for her; it was just a relief to actually hear the excitement and encouragement in her voice. "Yeah mom, I am."

"I knew it," Lorelai accused. "I knew it when I saw you two dancing at the festival that there was more than friendship going on there. Ok, now tell mommy all the details, and leave nothing out."

Taking another deep breath, Rory began to tell he mother everything she had been keeping to herself for months. She gushed about the dinner's Finn cooked, the way he helped her study for finals, and the intense kisses they shared and then tried to cover up. She explained to her mother how Finn had shown up in London and how she knew that things with Logan were over. After going over the break up and move, in detail, Rory gave her mother a chance to speak.

"I can't believe I missed all this. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you to talk to babe."

"Hey, you didn't know I was going to make huge life changing decisions while you were away."

Lorelai gave a short giggle before becoming serious. "You know I was never a fan of the Logan and Rory forever ship, but I know it must have been hard for you to break things off with him. Especially for his best friend," Lorelai said with seriousness in her voice. "Now that I've said that, I can officially admit that I am so jealous your boyfriend has an accent."

"Oh god, mom you're not going to hit on my boyfriend are you?"

"No… that would be wrong," Lorelai teased. "I would however, like to sit down with the boy."

"Mom, you've met Finn. He slept on our couch."

"Yes, but he's your boyfriend now, and as your mother I do have the right to know what his intentions are?"

"Is this an official request?" Rory mocked.

"If it gets my lovely daughter home to see her mother, then yes its an official request for a sit down with Finny boy."

Rory laughed, "You know you can just ask me to come home for the weekend?"

"Will you?" Lorelai challenged her daughter.

"Not this weekend, I start classes on Monday. I do believe I can pencil you in for next weekend, though."

"Deal. See you tomorrow for Friday night dinner?"

"Ugh, grandma and grandpa," Rory whispered as an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach. "They probably already know, and if they don't they're going to ask about Logan and London. I'm going to have to tell them."

"Well I haven't heard from my mother yet, but that doesn't mean she doesn't know. I say go in, assess the situation, and tell them the least amount of information possible. All they need to know right now is that you and Logan have ended things. You can always ease Finn into the situation later."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"Listen kid, don't get worked up over this. It's your life and I support you 100 percent."

"Thanks mom."

"No problem. I love you kid. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I'll probably talk to you three more times before that, but yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. Love you!" Rory hung up the phone with her mother and smiled as the smell of coffee drifted through her room. Pushing the rest of the covers off her body, she got out of bed and began to follow the smell down the hall and into the kitchen. When she got to the entryway, she was greeted by the sight of a shirtless Finn reaching up to get mugs out of a cabinet.

"Enjoying the view?" Finn asked as he gave her a smirk while looking over his shoulder.

"Mmmm, there's nothing better to look at than a hot, steamy cup of coffee," Rory purred in Finn's ear as she approached him from behind.

Finn spun around and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I think you may have just broken my heart," he responded with his lips in a full pout.

"Awww, let me see if I can fix that," she whispered as she leaned up and placed a long, slow kiss on his lips.

Finn let a small moan escape his lips.

"Better?" Rory teased.

"Amazing." Finn sighed as he moved his head towards Rory's neck and began to place small kisses there.

Rory giggled as the feelings inside her body began to grow stronger. She moved her arms to his hips and began to slightly push him away, not really wanting to do so.

"You know, Love," Finn said with a smile on his lips. "I never knew you were such a tease."

"Me?" Rory gasped in mock innocence. "How so?"

"Hmmm, last night you get me all hot with that little picture you sent me and now this? I thought you loved me?" He pouted.

"Oh hun," Rory cooed while placing her arms around his neck again. "Trust me, your patience will be rewarded." Once again she placed a small kiss on his lips, before taking his bottom lip between hers and sucking on it. She then let her tongue gently swipe over it, before backing away with a smile on her face.

Taking a deep breathe, Finn walked right up to her and lowered his face so it was mere centimeters away. "I'm a saint," he whispered with a grin before walking out of the kitchen and down the hall towards the bathroom. He stepped inside and threw his pajama pants out onto the hallway floor. Sticking his head out the door he called down to Rory, "are you?" before closing the door over and stepping into the shower.

Rory walked down the hall back to her bedroom shaking her head. Noticing the steam coming from the crack left by the open door she shook her head. "Who would have thought I'd ever have trouble being good?" she said to herself as she walked into her own room.

After taking a quick shower and throwing on some jeans and a sweater, Rory headed back out to the living room. She found Finn, fully dressed, sitting on the couch and flipping through the channels on the T.V.

"You disappoint me, love. All this time I thought you found me irresistible," he stated with mock hurt. "I waited all that time in the shower and you never came."

"I guess we're both saints," she replied back with a smile on her face, before walking over and placing a kiss on top of his head.

"You going out?" he asked as he watched her pick up her bag from the floor.

"Yeah, for a little while. I need to go down to the paper and at least start to organize some things. We're back to business next week and there is a lot of editing that needs to be finished before we print the next edition."

Turning the television off, Finn got off the couch and walked over to where Rory was standing. "Sounds like fun," he said with a smirk as he reached her and placed his hands on her waist. "I have some errands to run before tonight anyway."

"Errands, huh? What kind of errands?"

Finn laughed. "The kind that are none of your business. Tonight is a surprise, and it's going to stay that way."

"Can't you at least give me a little hint?" she begged.

"Nope, so stop asking," he said with some authority.

"How will I know what to wear if you don't give me a little hint?"

He smiled at her antics, but decided giving her this wouldn't ruin his plans. "Ok, dress warm, jeans and sweater. Oh, and don't forget your gloves and scarf."

"Should I be scared? Are you going to take me out to the middle of the woods and leave me there?" she asked suspiciously.

"Silly girl. No more questions. Now you go, do what you have to do and I'll see you at 7," he said with a grin before placing a kiss on her lips.

"I can't wait," she said with a smile of her own before grabbing her bag and walking out the door.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a long afternoon of organizing stories and arguing with Paris, Rory couldn't wait to jump in the shower and get ready for her date with Finn. As she walked in the door she called out to him, but received no answer. Walking towards the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee, she noticed a note on the counter. Picking it up she began to read:

_Hey Love,_

I had to quickly run out for something. I'll be back soon. I'm so excited about tonight. Love you!

Rory smiled as she reread the note for a second time. '_Tonight is going to be amazing!_' she thought, as the coffee maker beeped telling her that her pot was done. She poured the deep brown liquid into a mug and hurried down the hall to get ready for Finn.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6:58 is what Rory saw displayed on her clock as she glanced in its direction through the mirror's reflection. Her stomach tightened a tad as she refocused on herself in the mirror. She had left her hair down and straight, but quickly reached over and placed an elastic band around her wrist just in case. Her face had the slightest touches of make-up: blush, mascara, a lightly tinted lipstick, and some gloss which all looked perfect as she assessed each, one last time. She moved back a step so she could make sure her cinnamon colored sweater and jeans looked good with her brown suede boots. Happy with her appearance, Rory smiled at herself in the mirror before turning to her bed. She threw her phone into her bag, and then double-checked that her gloves and scarf were with her jacket. She was about to gather all the items up when she heard a knock at the door. Looking at herself one last time in the mirror and being please, Rory walked over to the door and opened it.

On the other side, she found Finn holding a bouquet of red roses.

"Finn, they're beautiful," Rory said as she eyed the flowers in his hand. "You didn't have to do that."

"I told you I wanted this date to be amazing, and it starts with these flowers." He handed the bouquet over to Rory and for the first time she realized that they were already in a vase. He watched her as she walked over to her nightstand and placed them right by her bed.

"Was I late?" she asked, as she turned to walk back over to Finn.

"Huh?"

"You knocked on the bedroom door. Was it 7:01 and I hadn't come out yet?" she laughed.

"No," he said walking up to her and placing one hand on her waist. "It is customary for the guy to come and pick up the girl for their first date. Since we live together, I came to pick you up at your bedroom door."

Rory leaned in and kissed Finn on the check.

"What was that for?" he asked with a smile.

She smiled back. "If you're good I'll tell you later."

"I'm going to hold you to that," he said as he picked up her jacket and helped her put it on. "You ready?"

She nodded with a grin as she picked up her bag and placed her empty hand in his. "So where are we going?" she asked as they began walking out of the room.

"I told you, it's a surprise. You've managed to survive the whole day without knowing, I think you can survive the next 25 minutes as well," he teased.

"If I guess will you tell me?"

"No," he said with a smile as they walked up to his truck and he opened the passenger door to let her in. She got in and folded her arms over her chest. He closed the door and laughed as he made his way around the truck to his own door. As he got in, he noticed her eyes were set in the puppy dog stare and her lip was slightly pouting. "That look won't work tonight. But if you keep it up with the lip, I'm going to have to kiss you and then you'll never know where I would have taken you."

Rory responded with an exaggerated eye roll and a smile. "You're no fun."

"We'll see about that," he laughed as he shifted gears and they pulled out of the parking garage. Noticing that she still sat with her arms crossed over her chest, Finn leaned over and handed her his CD case. "Here you go Ms. DJ."

With a smile on her face, she uncrossed her arms and grabbed the case. She was eagerly looking through each page before finding a CD and sticking it in the stereo system.

When the music came out of the speakers Finn let out a small laugh. "The Gin Blossoms," he stated as he glanced over at her. "Good choice."

"I'm glad you like it," she replied glancing at him with a smile of her own. Finn turned around and returned his attention to the road, while Rory took this opportunity to check him out. His eyes were bright and full of excitement. The color made more intense by the green sweater he was wearing under his leather jacket. His dark hair, as usual, was tousled and sexy. As she continued to look him up and down out of the corner of eye, she couldn't help but feel the flutter of her stomach intensify. Taking a deep breath, she worked on trying to calm herself down. The last thing she needed was Finn knowing how much he affected her. She was so consumed with the thoughts in her head that she didn't realize they had pulled into a parking lot. As the truck came to a stop, Rory looked over at Finn just in time to see him turning the ignition off.

"Well, love, here we are," he grinned at her.

"Where's here?"

"Take a look," he encouraged as he motioned the view in front of them with his hand.

Rory looked out the front window of the car and saw a huge ice skating rink in front of her. She turned to Finn with an enormous smile on her face. "We're going ice skating? Finn how did know that I love ice skating?"

"You told me." He was met with a questioning glare from Rory so he continued. "When I went home with you for that festival, you and Lorelai were talking about how Gilmore Girls don't exercise. The only exception to that rule, you told me, was ice skating. So here we are."

Rory leaned across the seat and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You are absolutely amazing you know that?" she asked as she moved to rest her head on his forehead.

"I'm glad you think so, cause I have one more surprise for you."

"You do?" she asked with excitement in her voice.

With a smile Finn got out of the car and began to walk around to the trunk. She heard him open the back and rummage around, before closing it and making his way towards her door. When he finally got to her and opened the door, Rory noticed he had a pair of ice skates in his hands.

"Are those mine?" she asked slightly surprised and slightly confused.

"Yup, I also remember you telling me that you and Lorelai bought your own ice skates. So this afternoon, I made a little trip to Stars Hallow."

"You did not?" She couldn't believe this. Finn had planned the sweetest date she could have ever imagined. And to top it all off, he went out of his way to make it so personal by getting her skates from her mom's house.

"If you don't believe me you can call your mom yourself. I was almost late because of her," he laughed as he stared at the shocked look on her face. "You alright, love?"

"You are amazing, you know that?" She leaned in and gave him a soft peck on the lips.

"Well, I think you're pretty amazing too." He grabbed her hand and helped her out of the truck. "Now Ms. Gilmore, are you ready for a little fun?"

"Absolutely," she grinned and took his hand.

They walked over to the ice skating rink and placed their stuff on a bench. While Finn went to go rent a pair of ice skates, Rory locked her bag in a locker. They both, then, found a bench and sat to put their skates on.

"Now, I'm going to warn you," Finn started. "I haven't been ice skating in years, so I might be a bit rusty."

"Define years," Rory inquired.

"I don't know the exact number, but it was in high school," he laughed.

"Aww, don't worry baby, I'll help you up if you fall. I won't even mock you," she teased.

"Liar!" he laughed right back at her.

"I promise to be nice tonight," she stated.

"But…" he prompted.

She smiled at him. "You know mom is going to ask about tonight. I can't help what comes out of her mouth."

"You're going to tell your mom?" he asked as he grabbed her hand to help her off the bench. As she stood, he placed his hands on her hips and slowly pulled her closer.

"Mom and I are very close, I tell her everything," she said coyly.

"Everything, " he asked with a raise of his eyebrows before moving in and nibbling on the bottom of her earlobe.

She let out a gasp of mock outrage. "Finn, this is a first date and I'm not that kind of girl," she teased.

"Here's to hoping, " he smiled and winked, before grabbing her hand once more and leading her towards the rink.

They both made their way onto the rink, Rory with a little more ease then Finn. The first couple laps around they went slow, easing Finn back into skating. Gradually, he became more comfortable, and they picked up speed.

"Well I'm impressed. You're not so bad after all," Rory teased.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," he replied back as he took her hand in his and they continued skating around the circle of ice. They continued smoothly around for quite awhile, enjoying each others company and the feel of one another's hands in their own. After some time, Finn led Rory over to the wall. "Are you hungry?"

She laughed and gave him an 'are you kidding me' look.

"Ok then, let's go check out the snack bar." They glided their way over to the rink exit and headed towards the counter. "So what would you like to dine on this evening? Hot dog, hamburger, pizza, chicken nuggets?"

"Mmm, all my favorites," she replied excitedly. "This may take a minute or two."

"Take your time, love," Finn responded with a laugh.

After rereading the menu and taking a quick peak behind the counter to look at the various items, she turned to Finn. "Pizza, French fries, and a coke."

Finn nodded. "Why don't you go sit down and I'll get the food," Finn suggested.

Rory gave him a small smile and nod, then turned to go sit down. As Finn walked over to the counter and ordered their food, Rory couldn't help but watch him. This was the best date she had ever been on. None of her other boyfriends had ever taken the time to think about what would make her happy when taking her somewhere the way that Finn had tonight. But then again, none of her other boyfriends had made her feel the way she was feeling either. It was weird how she could be completely comfortable with Finn, yet at the same time her stomach was turning inside out. She knew it wasn't nerves, but just her body's natural reaction to Finn touching her. It was so intoxicating and she couldn't wait to feel it some more. Before she had a chance to explore that thought, Finn approached the table and placed the tray of food in the middle.

"Penny for your thoughts," Finn inquired.

Rory smiled as the heat rushed to her face. She knew her cheeks were bright red. "I was actually thinking about how wonderful my boyfriend is."

"Really," he questioned with intrigue as his eyebrows rose. Becoming a little more serious he started rubbing his thumb lightly over her hand before saying, "That's the first time you've referred to me as your boyfriend."

"How'd it sound?" she asked.

"Wonderful," he said with a huge smile on his face.

"To me too," she admitted with another small smile.

Finn let those words sink into his head as he continued to caress her hand with his thumb. When he felt her body quiver he looked up at her with a smirk on his face. "Something you'd like to share?"

Taking a deep breath to control the bass beat thumping in her chest, she looked into his eyes with a smile of her own. Slowly she reached out and grabbed his other hand, and turned it over so it was laying palm up on the table. Taking her own finger, she began to ever so gently trail the tips over the skin of his forearm. She watched as goose bumps broke out all over his skin, before moving her gaze up to his now closed eyes.

Taking a deep breath of his own Finn whispered, "Touché." Opening his eyes, he saw Rory's cheeks were bright red, yet she had this look in her eyes that let Finn know she was proud of herself for being able to get to him like she just had. Not being able to resist, he stood and walked around to the other side of the table to sit next to her. Without a word, he cupped his hands around her face and began brushing his lips very lightly against hers. The soft brushing of their lips against one another's had both their hearts beating frantically. Before anything could become too heated, Finn pulled away. He watched her for a moment, eyes closed and breathing through her nose like she was trying to brace herself. She looked absolutely beautiful and he couldn't help but whisper those words to her. Rory opened her eyes and moved her hand to rub his left cheek. They stayed like that for a minute, just staring at each other and letting their eyes say everything that was in their heads and hearts. Finally Finn moved his hands from her face and grabbed her hand. "We only have a little time left before they close. What do say we go back on the ice for a little while."

With a nod Rory stood up and grabbed the empty tray of food, throwing it in the garbage on their way back out to the rink. They stepped out onto the ice and made their way around the rink, hand in hand. They spent the rest of their time talking and laughing, just enjoying each other's company. When the rink was getting ready to close, they walked back to their locker to get their shoes and Rory's bag.

Finn wrapped his arm around Rory's waist as they made their way back to his car. "Did you have fun?" he asked, his lips centimeters from her ear.

Stopping by the truck to look up at him, Rory nodded her head. "Finn, this is the best date I have ever been on." She then inched her body closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He didn't need any encouragement, so he leaned down and let his lips collide with hers. Their lips brushed together once, twice, three times before he begrudgingly pulled away. "See now in high school, this would be the part of the date where we fool around in the back seat," he teased with a smile.

She smiled back at him before responding. "And I'm sure you know all about that."

"And you don't?" he teased back.

She bit her lip as her cheeks turned red. She quickly leaned her head against his chest, hoping he wouldn't see her reaction.

Not quite believing what her face was conveying, her rubbed his finger along her chin before lifting her head slightly to look at him. "Are you trying to tell me you've never fooled around in the back seat of a car before?" he asked with shock in his voice.

"You make it sound like there's something wrong with me?" she accused.

"Not at all. I just… I knew you were a little innocent when you and Logan first got together, but…" he trailed off not knowing how to complete his thought. He knew he shouldn't be grinning the way he was but he couldn't help it, he found her completely adorable.

"Unlike you, I used my high school years to get good grades so I could get into a good college. I had boyfriends, but it was never like that. We made out, but driving wasn't really a big deal so making out in cars wasn't either."

He couldn't help but smile at the expression on her face. It was as if she were wondering if she missed out on something that everyone else had experienced. With that huge grin spread across his face, he instinctively pulled Rory a little closer to his body. "Well then," he began with excitement in his voice. "Looks like I'm going to be the first boy to corrupt you in the back seat of a car."

She was about to open her mouth with a quick comeback about how she wasn't one of his redheads, but when her eyes met his and she saw the excitement and desire dancing within his green orbs, she didn't want to do anything but open up the back door to his truck. Looking over her shoulder with a smile, she climbed up onto the seat. He walked over to where she was sitting, sideways with her legs still hanging out the door, and leaned up to meet his lips with hers. He let his lips gently play with hers, letting her know that she was in control of what was happening. Rory let her hands land on either side of his face, before running them down his neck, shoulders, arms, and then finally lacing her fingers with his as she pulled him up into the truck. He briefly pulled his lips away from hers to close the door, before crashing them back down again. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck as she felt him wrap his own arms around her waist, allowing their bodies to press together more closely. Lacing her fingers through his hair, she pulled his head a little closer to her, letting him know she wanted to intensify the kiss that already had her whole body on fire.

As he felt her fingers glide over his head, he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. After nibbling on it with the slightest pressure of his teeth, he let his tongue sooth the sting before it entered her own mouth and began dueling with her tongue. Needing a better angle, he gently leaned her back onto the seat and let his body hover over hers. Feeling the need to breathe, he allowed his lips to leave hers, only to trail over her cheek and jaw until he found her neck. He quickly found a spot by her ear that had her moaning and he concentrated on that area as he felt Rory's hands leave his head and begin to wander down his back, leaving what felt like an electrical current in their wake. Knowing that Rory felt comfortable, he allowed his hands to leave her waist and start roaming up her stomach and sides only to be rewarded by heavy sighs leaving Rory's lips.

Rory felt like her entire body was on fire. Between Finn's kisses and his hands exploring her body, she felt like her head was spinning and she didn't know how much longer she could take it. Bringing her one hand up to his face, she guided his lips back to her own and once again began kissing him. As the pressure of their kiss intensified, Rory couldn't help but start to rub her body against his, needing to feel some friction and relief. She felt an intense satisfaction all over as she felt Finn's body reacting by grinding into hers. Realizing that their actions were only making her ache worse she pulled away whispering his name.

Taking a few deep breaths, Finn placed his hand on her face. "Love, don't worry," he said while gently stroking her cheek. "We'll slow things down."

"That's the problem, Finn," she admitted locking her eyes with his. "I don't want to slow down. We've waited months to be together, and now there's nothing holding us back. I want to be with you, in every way possible."

Leaning down, Finn gave her a small, sweet kiss before sitting up. "I don't want to wait either. So if you're sure, then we're going to go back to the house and do this right."

Grabbing his hand she looked up at him and smiled. "I've never been more sure about anything in my entire life."

Leaning back, he opened the back door and climbed out. Taking her hand, he helped her out of the back seat and then into the front. He closed her door and walked around the front of the car, before getting into the driver's seat. Taking her hand in his, he turned the ignition and began to make his way home.


	15. Making Love to You Might Drive Me Crazy

Hey guys! I know it's been a really long time, but I am very hard on myself about what I write and what I post. I would not put a chapter up unless I was 100% satisfied with what my mind produced, and this chapter was especially important to me. I've been anticipating this chapter since I started this story 4 years ago. For those of you that have been with me since the beginning and are still reading, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. So if you've noticed the rating change I'm sure you can guess that this is the chapter where Rory and Finn finally have sex. I'm very happy with it and I really hope that all of you are too! So please read, enjoy, and most of all let me know what you think because you guys are the reason that I'm determined to finish this fanfic. Even if it takes me 10 years to do it!

Chapter 15~ Making Love to You Might Drive Me Crazy

The door swung open as Finn walked backward through the doorway holding both of Rory's hands in his own. His deep green eyes were locked onto her bright blue ones as he moved his hands to her waist to pull her closer to him. Just the feel of her body brushing against his own sent a jolt of electricity shooting up his spine. He kicked the door closed with his foot and walked her backwards till she was pressed up against it. That's when his lips descended onto hers and he let all his walls down.

The kiss started out slow. Rory knew he was trying to take his time, but she could also feel the power of what he was doing right down to her toes. The second his soft lips brushed against her own, she felt the need to be closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let the tip of her tongue gently touch his upper lip.

His own tongue darted out to meet hers and it wasn't long till they were both dueling for dominance. He felt the shivers go down his spine from her fingers raking through his hair, and he quickly moved his own hand to the back of her neck. It only took a second for him to angle her head so he would have better access to her mouth, which very quickly earned him a moan from the back of her throat. Just hearing that sound made his dick twitch and he had to grind into her to show her what she was doing to him. It wasn't until he felt her hands slide down his chest and over his abs that he regretfully broke their lips apart. He heard her whine of protest and placed his forehead against hers, before cupping her face in between his hands.

"Ror," he whispered, waiting for her to look at him. When she finally looked up, the emotion he saw in her eyes took his breath away. Without saying a word, he gently pulled back from her while linking their fingers together. Never taking his eyes off of hers, he led them down the hallway till they were inside of his room. Dropping her hands, he slowly walked behind her and closed the door. He turned around and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. His hand gently swept her hair to one side, allowing him to tickle the shell of her ear with his nose and lips.

The just barely there brush of his lips had her shivering in anticipation. She felt his hands rubbing back and forth over her hips, causing her eyes to flutter closed. When she felt his hand grip the bottom of her sweater, she quickly raised her arms so he could remove it. Slowly, she felt his hands slide up her stomach and then move so they just barely grazed the sides of her chest. When the sweater was over her head, it was quickly tossed to the floor.

His lips immediately danced over her neck with light butterfly kisses, and his fingertips glided down her arm to her wrists. He gently pulled her arms till they wrapped back around his own neck.

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," he whispered huskily in her ear before sliding his tongue ever so lightly down her neck. "I have never wanted anything in my entire life as badly as I want you right now." With that he slowly slid his hands down her stomach and gently bit the spot right between her neck and her shoulder.

She couldn't help but moan when she felt his teeth sink into her skin. Between his seductive whispers and his gentle touches she had already felt a fire burning within her, but that set her ablaze in a whole other area. She dug her fingers into his shoulders a little harder and turned her body around to face him. Starting at his shoulders she gently rubbed her hands down his chest and abs, feeling every muscle twitch underneath her touch. When she finally reached his waist, she didn't waste any time lifting the green sweater over his head and dropping it onto the floor. With his chiseled torso bare in front of her, she couldn't help but let her hands roam freely as her mouth began to leave its own trail of kisses over his neck.

The sensation of her hands and mouth on his body was overpowering as he slowly started to feel himself loose control. Needing to get them on the bed, he wrapped his arms around her waist and guided her backwards. Moving his hands up her back, he quickly unhooked her bra. Sliding the straps down her arms, he removed it and threw it over his shoulder before picking her up and laying her on his bed.

As soon as her back hit the mattress she felt his lips on her neck. He wrapped his fingers around hers and brought their hands to lie next to her head as he nipped, licked, and sucked on her neck. She felt herself getting wetter by the second and wondered if she'd explode by the time he actually got to touch her. The fire in her stomach blazed stronger as his lips moved from her neck to her collarbone. As his lips got closer and closer to where she wanted them, his hands slid up her arms and then caressed down the side of her body. Goosebumps broke out all over her body and she felt the need to hold onto him. Just as her arms came to wrap around his back, she felt his tongue flick at her nipple.

"Ugh," she sighed.

It was the sexiest thing he'd ever heard and it only encouraged him to do it again. He flicked it a second and third time, each one earning him the same incredible sound as a reward. At the same time, he slowly moved his right hand up the side of her body, inching closer and closer to her other breast. As the pads of his fingers started to circle that nipple, his mouth closed over the other one.

"Finn," she moaned breathily as a jolt shot straight from her chest to her core. She didn't think anything had ever felt this amazing in her life. He then removed his mouth from one breast and wrapped it around the other. He continued his ministrations, sucking on one nipple and squeezing the other, while she kneaded her fingertips into his back and shoulders. She couldn't help but sigh in frustration when he removed his mouth from her chest. As he came back up to resume his slow, torturous assault on her mouth, his hands slid down to the buttons and zipper on her jeans.

"You are so amazingly sexy," he growled as his lips once again nipped under her ear and down her throat. His lips slowly journeyed down her body. Leaving a hot, wet trail all the way down to her jeans. He disconnected his lips from her body long enough to pull her jeans down her legs and discard them. He stared back down at the bed in awe. Rory, in nothing but black lace boy shorts, with her hair fanned out around her; she looked like a goddess. He knew he would never forget this sight for as long as he lived.

"Are you alright?," she asked nervously as she searched his eyes with her own.

A slow, genuine smile crawled across his face as he whispered back, "I'm just trying to memorize this moment."

Her cheeks turned red and her eyes started to water as she felt his hands start at her knees and glide their way down her thigh. She sighed as his lips trailed after his fingers, that were now making soft circular patterns so close to where she ached for them to be. She couldn't help but let her eyes flutter shut as she let the feelings he was invoking overtake her. When she finally felt his hand brush up against her core they both let out a moan, and she opened her eyes and smiled at him. She took his wrists and moved his hands to her hips. With a little chuckle, he slowly removed her boy shorts.

Finn kept his eyes locked onto hers as he lightly pushed her legs apart and settled himself in between. He once again let his fingers take a slow walk down her legs, knowing this time there was nothing to stop them from sinking into her. As his fingers got closer to their goal, he leaned down and once again began to softly kiss her lips. Just as their tongues came together inside her mouth, his finger made contact with her slit. He rubbed up and down it once, twice, three times; before putting a little pressure on her clit. The intoxicating sound that came from her encouraged him to continue. With his fingers he began to roll soft circles over clit and he felt her hips buck a little. Feeling that she was ready, he slid one finger inside of her. Pumping in and out of her tightness, he let his finger explore; searching for his goal. When he found it he felt her hips buck against his own and he inserted a second finger.

His fingers inside of her had her stomach, and everything below, blazing. Her desire to touch him was intensifying by the second. She quickly slid her hand down his back and glided her fingers around the waist of his jeans. Wasting no time, she blindly undid the buttons and lowered his zipper. She rubbed him through the material, already impressed by his length and hardness. Wanting desperately to feel the heat of his skin, she sunk her hand into his boxer briefs and wrapped her fingers around his length. She started out gently, with short strokes, getting herself acquainted with his body. It wasn't long before her grip tightened and the pumps of her hand were matching the ones she felt inside of her.

They were both moaning into each other's mouths and breathing was getting harder. They were both getting so close and Finn knew if he didn't switch things up, he'd never make it to the main event. He pulled away slightly and sucked in a deep breath to calm himself. When he heard her whine of protest, he chuckled.

"Relax, baby," he soothed as he moved his hand up to rub her cheek. He leaned in and left three lingering nips on her lips before sliding back down her body and lowering his head between her legs. He let out a hot breath of air before leaving feather light kisses up and down her slit. When his tongue finally peeked out of his mouth, it made a gentle swipe starting at the bottom and leading right up to her clit. The tip of his tongue swiped at it a few times, before his mouth closed over it and he began to suck.

"Oh, god," she breathed out huskily as she felt the intense pressure start to build up inside of her. With every suck of his mouth and swipe of his tongue the feeling inside became more intense and she didn't know how long it would be until she exploded. She tangled her fingers in his curls, hoping to press his mouth harder against her. She wanted her release.

"Mmm, Finn," she purred. "I need to…", but her words died on her lips as she felt his tongue enter her. Her nails scraped down his neck and grabbed his shoulders. She was so close. The intensity she was feeling inside her was boiling over and taking over her body. When his tongue returned to her clit, she felt herself begin to grind against his mouth. She growled when his hands came up and held her hips down. Her frustration only lasted a second as she felt his lips close over her and suck her clit into his mouth. Suddenly, her world went black as she felt the explosion. She cried out his name and let the fire take over her entire body. When she finally came down, she felt him kissing his way back up her body. Her eyes locked onto his and she smiled.

"I have a new favorite flavor. Want a taste?," he teased as he lowered his mouth and swiped his tongue against hers. The kiss was tender and erotic, as he let her taste herself. While their lips were caressing over each other, their hands and arms were gripping at one another like they never wanted to let go. He felt Rory's hands slip down his body to the waistband of his underwear and quickly guide them down until he took over and kicked them off of himself. As they came up for air he gently took her hand and wrapped his fingers around hers. Their noses rubbed against each other as they looked at one another with a smile.

"I don't think I was this nervous when I lost my virginity," he said with a slight chuckle. When he saw her eyebrows slant in question he continued. "I've never made love to anyone before," he confessed.

Rory grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down. She softly whispered I love you before molding his lips with her own.

He reached over and grabbed a condom as she continued to gently kiss his lips. When it was rolled into place, he softly whispered that he loved her too before entering her with a slow and torturous thrust. He stilled himself for a moment, letting her tight, wet heat surround him before he pulled out and slowly thrust in again. He did this a few times before he felt her legs wrap around his waist, encouraging him to pick up his pace. Setting his tempo, he pumped in and out of her as his lips left their mark on her neck. He heard his name leave her lips in a sigh as her muscles tightened around him and he knew she was getting close. He moved his hand down between them and began to rub her clit. He moved his head up so he could look into her eyes. He wasn't sure if it was his heart or his dick that throbbed, maybe it was both, but he knew had never felt anything this powerful during sex before. Knowing he wouldn't last much longer, he adjusted her legs a little higher around his waist to give him a better angle. That's when he hit it. Her eyes rolled back and her lids fluttered closed. She gasped for breath as she moaned his name over and over. Her muscles squeezed around him and two pumps later he was joining her over the cliff, her name rolling off of his lips in pants. He slowed his thrusts, milking both their orgasms and allowing the feelings to take over them both. When he started to come down, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and rested his forehead against hers.

She slowly opened her eyes and moved her hand to his cheek. They just stayed like that for a while, content to be lost in each other's eyes. He leaned down and placed soft gentle kisses on her lips. When he backed his head away she smiled at him.

"Hi," she beamed at him.

"Hi," he replied back with a little laugh. He gently pulled out of her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'll be right back," he stated as he rose from the bed and walked across the hall to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. When he came back into the room, he crawled into bed and wrapped his arms right back around her. " You alright?," he questioned.

"I'm more than alright," she flirted as she leaned up to kiss his lips. "For someone who claimed he was nervous, your performance proved anything but," she teased.

He let out a little laugh before his face turned serious and he looked into her eyes. "It's really important to me that you know this is different for me…you're different…special. I know my reputation, for the longest time it was something I took pride in. But tonight, this right here, you and me is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. There is no one else in this world that has ever made me feel what I'm feeling right now. I don't know how you did it, but you have my heart."

She leaned in and kissed his lips. His powerful words both surprising and moving her all at the same time. When she backed away she smiled. "For the first time in my life I'm speechless," she giggled and he laughed along with her. "Finn, I have never doubted for a second how you feel about me. You took my breath away tonight. I am so in love with you."

They once again shared sweet kisses while wrapped up in each other's arms. They both knew that this would be a night neither one would ever forget.


End file.
